90210: 2012 Kisses and Lies
by Acrobat Dances a Playful Tune
Summary: A lot can happen in a few months, friendships have soured, relationships have died and this time it might be too much for the group to pull through...
1. Chapter 1

**90210: 2012**

There was something about an airport that always made Naomi excited – ever since she was little. That was probably because she associated it with flying away to a sandy beach with hot guys and a cool, refreshing sea, and also subconsciously because she associated it with a calming period where her parents were at ease, where she was at ease and were even Jen was unnaturally calm and serene. However this time it was different, she scanned the arrivals board eagerly and spotted the LA Flight – it had landed ten minutes previously and she idled as the automatic doors, waiting for her friends to arrive.

She looked over her appearance in the reflection in one of the screens, her wedges and choice of maxi-dress and denim-jacket seemed perfectly relaxed and chilled, while at the same time exuding the appropriate elegance which was enhanced by both her enormous hand-bag and her designer sunglasses – a must if one were to assimilate into Italian society, not that Naomi needed any help there. She was dating a Count who owned a vineyard and an enormous 17th Century Villa overlooking the Amalfi Coast – in short she was living the Italian dream, tearing around the length of the country on a Vespa with her arms wrapped around the tanned, hunky, muscled aristocrat by day and dancing in the clubs before sampling the country's fine wine and sumptuous food by night.

She spotted the perv – a janitor who was probably not shy of sixty - looking at her as he cleaned the floor and turned around and shot him a look saying: _you aren't even fit to gaze upon my Miu Miu wedges let alone the entire outfit_ – he give her a suitably reproachful look and left, continuing to sweep the floor and whistling in a way that she presumed was designed to annoy people. She turned back to the arrivals doors as they parted, and watched excitedly as the first few tourists spilled through from the LA Flight – she was always surprised at the vast gulf between those who lived the life of the glamorous elite and those who…didn't – some people came through in cheap polo shirts, shorts and those hideous sandals with imitation leather binding, some people with a little more taste came through in summery floral print jumpsuits and dresses but ruined the attempt at chic on a budget by plumping for a pair of crappy plastic heels and then came through _her _people – a brunette girl with the effortlessly flowing locks that looked glossy and lush and nourished, while at the same time worn in that flowing style that so easily disguised the presence of tasteful extensions, that coupled with the enormous sun hat, aviator sunglasses and simply neutral, cream vest-top and high-waist trousers exuded high fashion, in fact Naomi actually allowed her gaze to wonder following that girl as she swept through – probably a model looking at her bone structure. She forced herself back to the door, playing the waiting game.

Her eyes lit up as she spotted the person she had been waiting for – this girl was a brunette too though her style was not so much haute couture as…_edgy _but thankfully in a manner that actually seemed attractive, her hair was cut back in a bob with a defined, jagged fringe that cut across her forehead in a staggered sweep, despite a lengthy flight she seemed relaxed and rested, her make-up was minimalist and yet perfectly defined – her outfit, a carefully chosen playsuit, complemented by up and coming designer bag outlined her as not an LA Style follower, but an LA Style setter.

"Silver!" Naomi yelled excitedly, tearing across the arrivals hall and almost tackling her friend to the ground with the force of her hug, she felt Silver compress as she squeezed the air out of her and then relaxed her grip on her friend, smiling sweetly at her as she regarded her friend – how did she deal with flights so well? "You look amazing," Naomi said as they swept through the terminal building, only mildly slowed by Silver's relatively small suitcase as they cruised toward the parking lot where Naomi had left the beautiful vintage coupé Gio – as the Count was affectionately known to her – had loaned her, unfortunately beautiful though the vintage 1950s roadster was she couldn't pop the trunk automatically so she scooted around and opened it, allowing Silver to put her case in and then running around to the drivers side.

Naomi grimaced as she looked at the three pedals looking back at her, almost menacingly to her mind – she had never driven stick-shift before and was finding the experience entirely hideous, even if she was getting quite proficient at the gear-changes she still missed the simple process of accelerate and stop, although the benefit seemed that everyone at work had given her some kind of respect, making up for the fact that she had been completely ignored when she had made the rookie error of deciding to wear an outfit she thought was stylish only to discover that in Italy she would have to dress as they did if she were to progress.

It had been like a beautiful dream that her internship with Vogue had enabled her to transfer to Italy, and it had been even more fortuitous that she had been able to transfer to an Italian university and still take her course in English, of course it meant she wouldn't see any of her friends for the first semester but that didn't seem so important – she was in Italy, the weather was still gorgeous even if school and work sometimes got in the way of her enjoying it, but otherwise it was as if summer had never ended. Naomi checked five times before pulling out – the amount of times she had nearly been killed pulling out was beginning to get scarily high, so she was being extra-cautious.

"You're quiet – what's the matter?" Naomi enquired.

Silver shrugged, "It's nothing…so tell me about the Count?"

Naomi was about to lunge into one of her love strung monologues about the newest guy in her life but thought better of it – something was wrong with Silver, she seemed upset and Silver never showed any emotion unless it was something really tearing her up on the inside – and this had to be something big, if Naomi could have predicted the scene Silver would've raced out of the terminal and immediately demanded Naomi take her to Rome so she could soak up all the culture and history of the City. This tranquillity was extremely unusual and it made Naomi feel unsettled, "Is it school – you're only visiting for like a week Silver, besides can't someone take notes for you?"

"It's not College," she said, ruling out the scholastic possibility, "you just…you've missed a lot since August Naomi…everything's changed back home."

"With Navid…or more generally?" she enquired as they moved onto the motorway, tearing away toward Amalfi and the elegant villa, Naomi pushed to the back of her head the thought of sipping a refreshing glass of wine on the terrace, focusing upon Silver who simply looked at her with a face creased in frown but without tears – she was at least composed enough to avoid that.

"Naomi…we broke up, a couple of weeks after you left," she admitted, "after the Camping Trip…everything changed…and I mean _everything_."

. . .

Ivy looked at the test and frowned deeply – she couldn't be, it wasn't possible…it had only been the one time, and they'd been so careful and so guarded and yet…it had all been lost for that one night of stupid, idiotic, ridiculous passion. She looked up as she heard Dixon call out form the other side of the door, "You Okay?" She paused, could she tell him – did he want kids? Would she scare him off…what exactly was the right course of action? She didn't even know if she wanted a kid – she was a semi-professional surfer, you didn't just have a baby and go back, if she had the baby then she'd lose her career.

"I'm fine," she said as she opened the door, having ensured prior to opening it that the test was buried beneath the other bathroom trash, she moved through the apartment they shared to the breakfast bar, settling and pouring herself a glass of orange juice and sipping at it pensively, Dixon crossed around and cornered her with one of his probing looks, "quit it – I said I'm fine," she dismissed, hoping foolishly that it might stop him probing but he didn't, "don't you have class or something today?"

Dixon shook his head, "Not if you aren't well – come-on Ivy something's gotta be wrong, you were in there for like half an hour?"

"I was just…reading," well that sounded _stupid_, "and got like…really caught up in the story or something – did you get my ring resized?" That was a better deflection, once she got Dixon back onto the topic of their engagement and forthcoming marriage then she could be sure he'd forget all about her bathroom exploits – he paused for a moment and then she saw him take on that gormless expression were he was about to lunge into another monologue about the wedding and how romantic it would be – something that she presumed had come from helping plan Annie and Liam's wedding several months previously.

"Sure," he affirmed and Ivy breathed a quiet sigh of relief that she had gotten away with it, "it should fit perfectly, I put it on your bedside table last night – guess you didn't see it when you came in?" She shook her head vehemently, "Well it's beautiful…it didn't come cheap either but it's perfect – so anyway about the wedding, I still wasn't sure what theme you wanted to go with cause I guessed that you wouldn't want it to be a traditional type," Ivy raised an eyebrow in genuine inquisitiveness, "so I asked at the Church and basically we could get married on the beach…at sundown, and I know since we don't have Navid getting that Marquee would be hard but I thought if we asked Naomi she might no someone who could get one of those big tents I'm always hearing about-"

"-that sounds, perfect," she interjected, she didn't want him to run away with it, next he'd be deciding what kind of dress she was going to wear, not that she didn't already have an idea but she didn't want Dixon to swoop in and control that, that was the only part of the wedding she was interested in, ensuring that her dress was beautiful and that she looked radiant, which for a surfer chick was…a challenge, "are your parents still organizing catering?"

"Yeah…" Dixon trailed off and Ivy realized she'd touched a nerve and made an apologetic face but he shrugged it off smirking at her, "there just in one of their arguing phases so we're probably gonna end up with two different types of food…how does Italian and Chinese sound?"

"Oh cool Kung Pow Pizza – my kind of food," Ivy smirked and Dixon let out a relaxed laugh, at least she had moved away from the touchy parent subject, "my Mom will be there…and as for my Dad…I'll just leave that as undecided, I haven't spoken to him and he hasn't spoken to me, probably cause I decided not to go to College so he doesn't have to spend any money on me anymore. Any word from the happy couple?"

Dixon sniggered, "Yeah Annie said Vegas is…_amazing_."

. . .

She was lost in his eyes, they were like two, deep, tiny oceans, each glistening, each beautifully blue, each complete perfection. She felt him bat away the hair from her face and she lunged ahead for the kiss, planting one on him like she had been learning to at her acting classes to give her that effective movie look while carrying through the passion behind it, she didn't care if any of the people watching them were put off by their _very_ public display of affection or more accurately displays of affection, they'd been kissing and cuddling poolside all morning.

They had spent the night partying, they had gone to bed, they had capped the night off with the kind of majestic marital sex that most couples spend their entire relationship trying to find and then Annie had slipped into the warm embrace of sleep, awaking nuzzling against Liam's chest…it felt as though she was living through a dream and each day she was going to a place she'd never been before, experiencing new things, tasting new delights, reaching higher heights of happiness than she had ever been open to before.

It had been a shame that the first weeks of their marriage had been marred by the return of her prodigal psychopath cousin Emily and equally it had been a pain that they had had to wait for their honeymoon until October but now they were here, in Vegas and thanks to her over-generous grandmother experiencing an all expenses paid romantic vacation at what was one of the most surreal yet at the same time most exclusive hotels on the strip – the Venetian. Annie had always wanted to go to Venice, to see the places mentioned in both _The Merchant of Venice _and _Othello_, to see the backdrops that had inspired the plays and the roles that she some day dreamed of playing – in fact she just wanted to go to Italy in general but Nevada was a decent stand in. She could walk across the Rialto Bridge or take a romantic gondola ride with her husband – the world was completely theirs and she was living it to the fullest.

He stroked the top of the head and then kissed it and that snapped her out of her romantic, blissful trance – something about it seemed odd. It wasn't loving, he would have pecked her on the cheek if that was the case, and it wasn't reassuring he would have simply touched at her hand for that, and it wasn't passionate because he hadn't made for her lips or her neck or her arms or any part of her exposed body for that matter – it was a kiss of warning, that he was about to drop something on her and Annie thought back the reflex to groan at the thought of it.

"What's the matter?" she murmured, watching as an enormous woman waded out of the pool, glowing a fiery scarlet colour – Annie was thankful that she'd remembered to bring sun block and lather herself in it, now she was going a gorgeous natural tanned colour that while maintaining her normally pale complexion, at the same time gave her a glossy tan look that would ensure she didn't stick out like a sore thumb amongst her friends back in Beverly Hills.

"Nothing," he said, repeating the kiss on her head and she looked up at him, not looking for love in his eyes but looking for what he was keeping from her, he looked away, "so I heard there's this great Club over in the MGM Grand that I thought we'd go look at – everyone's partied there the Kardashians, Britney Spears, Gaga…I mean we might even actually meet somebody famous." Annie frowned, now he was definitely lying or trying to deflect her because if there were two things Liam wasn't interested in, one was going out to clubs and the second was celebrity-hunting, the day Annie had tried to lure him on a tour of the stars houses he had flatly refused and she had committed the example to memory.

"Liam come-on I'm your wife," that made her feel about a century older than she actually was, "aren't I allowed to know what you're thinking, I tell you everything, come-on?"

Liam's face creased in indecision – he loved Annie and trusted her implicitly – he wouldn't have married her otherwise and made her his wife but he found it difficult to fully open himself to someone, make himself so vulnerable, he had become well versed in resisting opening his heart to people, letting them see his true self, even when he had been with Naomi he had never been completely honest or comfortable around her…with Annie things were different, he actually felt comfortable to be around her. Somehow that made him feel as though he couldn't keep it from her, but he didn't want to tell her anything that might actually get his hopes rising slightly higher.

"I spoke to my Mom," he said and Annie smiled warmly – the two had been avoiding talking to one another since Liam's fall-out with his Stepfather and his growing desire to shake off association with her while she remained married to him, considering that Liam knew he was having an affair and also recognized that his stepfather was a completely douche who tried to control Liam as though he were his actual father, he saw Annie's eyes light up warmly and that realisation, "but don't get too excited – she was just telling me that my Dad's back and…well he was asking for me, so she thinks he wants or needs something."

Annie nodded understandingly, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," she interlocked her hands with his, letting his large fingers mesh with her smaller, more feminine ones, "_together_."

. . .

Sometimes Marco wondered how Teddy was so trusting, for person that had been so insecure for so much of his life and had taken so long to invite people into his heart and commit himself to relationships, once he was into long-term commitments he often seemed to be completely trusting to the point of being over-trusting, he was always quick to offer Marco the use of his car rather than the beaten up station wagon he normally drove, he always loaned Marco some money if he needed it, he always trusted Marco to ensure the bills were paid, if he were a different person Marco could have made a very good profit out of his boyfriend.

He spotted the person standing by the side of the road and pulled the car – he was driving Teddy's beautiful vintage, sleek open-top – to a halt as he drew level with the person, the person's face had seemed full of tears and he had seemed scared somehow but as Marco drew level the face contorted into one of fearsome resolve, Marco saw the glint of the pistol as it was levelled at him and felt life drain out of him as the bullet tour through his chest, glancing at his heart and flew out the other side. He was only vaguely aware of the shooter moving him into the other seat as he slumped into unconsciousness and the car pulled away back onto the road, into the darkness of the night.

. . .

Hope you liked my new revised Chapter,

I just tweaked some of the storyline,

Hope you like it,

Acrobat

X


	2. Chapter 2

**90210: 2012**

Lights flashed past his eyes, buildings too as the car tore across the city through the darkness of the night…somehow he was concentrating on the road and on what was happening but it was autopilot – he wasn't conscious of what he was doing…he had too much going on beneath the surface, he was just allowing the exterior to take control now, putting the processing of the news to the back of his mind – he could cross that bridge once he got to the hospital. Now he simply needed to focus upon getting himself there, in one piece and ensuring he was at the bedside before anyone else.

The hospital loomed out the darkness, its lights warm but at the same time negated by the connotations of the hospital – this was the place where some came to die, and others came to languish in pain for years – it should have been a place of hope, something that heartened him against the grim situation but instead it made his spirits gloomier still if that were even possible. He pulled into the parking lot and pulled out his phone, scanning for a reply texts from anyone – Dixon, Ivy and Ade were en route, he had neglected to text Navid, his estrangement from the gang had made Teddy want to keep him away, he'd rather that they didn't explode into open war when Marco's life was at stake.

He rode the lift to the appropriate flaw nervously and emerged, strolling up to the desk casually as though nothing was wrong, as though every fibre in his body wasn't crying out to see Marco, to hold him close to his body, to reassure himself that his boyfriend was safe and would come out the other side after the shooting – he drummed his fingers on the desk and the attendant turned to him, dressed in the lurid uniforms typical of medical secretarial staff.

"Who are you here to see?"

"Marco Salazar," Teddy replied automatically, even at speaking his boyfriend's name aloud he had to fight back tears, fight to hold his composure in the waiting room, fight to simply keep himself standing up straight when all he wanted was to drop to the floor and sob and allow his pain to somehow dissipate into the air, "I'm his…boyfriend."

"He's in surgery," the secretary replied, "take a seat, his Doctor will be with you as soon as we know something." Teddy nodded and somehow allowed his legs to carry him to a seat, he slumped into it and looked at the time, it was 12:30 AM. Marco had to be alright, there was no way he couldn't be. Teddy was alone in the waiting room, he looked at the square ceiling and cast his mind back to the events of the previous night, they had been planning a romantic dinner together at the apartment they shared, Marco was going to cook and was grabbing the last few pieces for Teddy's Mystery Montgomery Casserole – a mystery because he hadn't actually decided what meat he was going to use so he'd just told Marco to buy a little of everything – and he'd loaned him his car since Marco's had a flat and Teddy didn't want him to have to change it and go to all that trouble just for a meal they were having together.

Marco had gone out the door and everything had been fine, or so Teddy had thought, he'd sat down and flicked through the Sports Channels before sending of a text to Silver to see how Italy was and tell her to give her regards to Naomi. He'd been relaxing and then it had been one hour, then two and then three – he had felt a rising sense of panic, like some anticipation of the grim news. Then the phone had rang and he'd answered, hoping to hear Marco's warm, low voice on the other end – but it hadn't been Marco, it had been a voice that was low but unmistakably feminine, spiced with a little Latin sparkle. She had informed him that Marco had been brought in with a gunshot wound and Teddy's car had been found unattended in the Hospital Parking Lot. The worst part was he'd had to change Marco's tyre before going out, further delaying him from getting to see Marco…he probably should've asked one of the others to take him to see Marco but he needed to be there, he needed to see Marco for himself…and now he would just have to wait on his own.

The sight that brought tears to his eyes was the arrival of Marco's mother, the bolshie, feisty woman bustling into the room, tears in her eyes – which was what had set him off, Marco's Mom was formidable and completely devoted to 'her little soldier' and now he'd been wounded, Teddy crossed to her and she embraced him warmly: she had become like a surrogate parent to him following the rejection from his father. She looked at his eyes and cupped his face reassuringly.

"He is a fighter, he will pull through." She said, though Teddy wasn't sure whether that sentiment was for his or her benefit in situation they were in.

"He has to." Teddy affirmed and she nodded approvingly.

Teddy led her to the chair and put an arm around her and wiped away her tears, strengthening himself while gripping her tightly and allowing her tears to pour onto his chest, wetting his shirt lightly – she was Marco's mom and Teddy was only his boyfriend, she had more right to cry, he needed to stay strong and resolute for her and not act out of place. He had to do what Marco would've wanted him to do, what he would've expected Marco to do if the situation were reversed. He hugged Consuela tightly and looked out of the window towards the buildings of the City, sparking in the distance and thought back the tears that were already stinging at his eyes, trapped in the growing nightmare.

.

"We have to go!" Annie yelled, hurling a stiletto at Liam which glanced of the side of his chest prompting a groan from his motionless, head-buried in pillows position, he stirred and shot her a look of filthy disgust, Annie simply dropped her hands to her hips and pouted at him in her _if I don't get my way you don't get yours_ and he reluctantly slid out of bed and pulled on his pants, getting dressed he moved to walk past her and she pressed a hand to his chest, "You're showering first." He nodded and promptly dropped his pants and walked into the bathroom, Annie playfully spanked his ass prompting an _I'm still half asleep_ groan from him and a low, dirty snigger as he slipped into the bathroom. She heard the shower switch on and relaxed from her standing position, flopping into the comfortable embrace of the bedding and hammered in a call to Adrianna, glancing at her messages and missed calls and musing it was probably just one of her parents worrying unnecessarily: they had been calling them every day of the honeymoon – it was beginning to get annoying. She allowed the tone to linger and then grinned as she heard Ade pick up on the other end.

"Hey how are you – we're just wrapping up the honeymoon here, Liam's in the shower – I just wanted to say thanks for looking after the apartment while we were away!" Annie enthused excitedly, in truth she was just hungry to get home and share with her girlfriends how completely perfect the honeymoon had been, how completely loved up she felt, how she felt as though nothing could shatter her glorious memory of the vacation or her infinite love for Liam.

"No it's cool," Adrianna sounded distant and Annie frowned, "Annie did you check your phone?"

"No – I just called you right away, I mean I had a couple of new messages but I just guessed they'd be from my Mom or my phone company or something, how come?" Adrianna's perceptible sigh at the other end made Annie's heart sink, she'd obviously missed something important, "Did you and Alexander have a fight or something cause we have time to talk if you need?"

"Annie…Teddy didn't want to say anything to you…he didn't want to spoil your honeymoon but…something…happened to Marco last night." Adrianna said as though it was the simplest of things, as though it didn't carry any weight, which made Annie feel an even more heightened sense of panic…something awful had happened, she could feel it all around her, as though she was sinking into darkness.

Annie felt her smile of a few moments before slipping away completely as her rising sense of dread became visible as her mouth curved downwards and her face creased pensively, "Ade you're starting to scare me."

"Marco…he was shot last night Annie…and I mean I think Teddy's trying to put on a brave face but Doctors don't think Marco's gonna pull through…I just think he could really use Liam and you once you get back, I mean he's close to Dixon but he's so much closer to Liam…they just seem to understand one another…and with everything that happened with Navid I doubt we'll be asking him to drop by any time soon," Adrianna clued-up and Annie almost lost the grip on her cell-phone but held it tightly, "look just…once you land and your settled just come over to the Hospital…I mean me, Ivy and Dixon are rotating but we can't all be here at once you know?"

"Of course," Annie replied automatically, ignoring the urge to cry and express her sadness for Teddy, "I'll tell Liam once he's out of the shower…I'll see you _later_." She closed of the phone and put in her pocket and slumped into the bed, finding that her legs refused to support her any longer, she registered the shower being switched off but she didn't even react to Liam emerging, a towel tied loosely just below his navel, showing of his toned torso and muscles – any other time and she would have torn the towel of him and roughly wrestled him into bed; not that Liam put up much of a struggle, but all she could do was stare at him, tears in her eyes, beginning to cascade down her face and pat the bed beside her. He dropped his confident, sexy smirk to a more reserved, resolute expression – the kind of sombre-but-with-a-swagger look that he had worked so well when he first came to West Bev.

"What's the matter?" he said putting his arm around her and pulling her close to him, despite the fact that she should have pushed away from his wet torso she was glad of the warm comfort as her tears streaked down her face and onto his chest, tracing down so she couldn't distinguish between water droplets and her tears, "Did something happen back _home_?" That word would have any other time evoked a flicker of warmth, she would be confident Liam enjoyed marital life with her and was happy where they lived – she could be confident one day she wouldn't wake up and find her dream over and find he had left their happily ever after for new horizons, now it merely added to the bubbling, swirling, confusing cauldron of emotions wreaking havoc in Annie's brain.

"Marco's been shot…and they don't think he's gonna pull through," Annie said, and though she didn't see Liam cry or sob as she did, she saw a tear form in his eye and knew somewhere within him the news had effected him – she hadn't even realized Liam and Marco were close but clearly their combined love of mechanics and the time they'd spent working together had forged a bond between them: a close one. And now they were all close to losing someone that they loved dearly, "I said…we'd go by the hospital…Ade thinks Teddy needs you…she says that your closer to him than anyone."

Liam acknowledged with a curt nod, "What about Navid?"

"He needs to be kept at arms length," Annie suggested and immediately Liam knew she was right, "he's too volatile at the moment…we don't need him creating an atmosphere…we all need to be there for Teddy…Dixon and Navid's…feud can wait."

.

Silver could see Naomi's eyes flickering to the waiters swinging through the waterside bar at Amalfi and if she could steal Naomi's attention for just a second she'd have shot her a warning glance – leopards never change their spots and Naomi had always been boy-hungry but she was in a relationship, a committed one – she'd moved into his 17th Century Family Home and started eating dinner with his parents and him every night…but that would never change Naomi.

"Naomi…Earth to Naomi," her blonde friend lowered her aviators and shot Silver a mischievous look and then it iced over as she realized that Silver was about to go all serious on her, "would you like to ask one of your _friends_ to take our order?" Silver said, smiling in a very forced polite way that prompted a groan from Naomi as she raised her hand and in an instant a server had swept over to them to take their order, Naomi ordered what they wanted in fluent Italian and then the waiter turned and swept away, "Since when did you-"

"-start speaking Italian? I'm actually pretty linguistic now," Naomi smiled confidently, "French, Spanish, Italian – who knew fashion had so many uses," she said eyeing up the rear of a waiter and Silver shot her another reproachful look, "oh come-on Silver I'm in Italy, I'm in Europe – there are so many," she lost her train of focus as a particularly, hot, shirtless blonde swept past the bar on a moped, "cute boys – besides we need to find you a new guy now that you finally dumped Navid!"

"Hey," Silver fired back in protest, "for one thing I'm actually really upset we broke up Naomi – we actually seemed to…you know…click together…and then he and Dixon fell out and everything fell apart…you know you might be able to move-on and keep moving all the time but some of us have to sit back and wait a little while before we move on: we actually try at our relationships."

"Try at our relationships?" Naomi scoffed, "Have you heard yourself, Silver you and Dixon finished because you kissed another guy, then you moved onto Teddy and he came out as gay – and Navid? Please – he has a spat with your ex-boyfriend and you side with your ex, if you were really _trying _at your relationship would it have fallen apart?" Silver leaned back, infuriated and Naomi relaxed back into her seat, pausing to consider her friend and whether she'd been too hasty.

"Well my relationships might have all fallen apart Naomi – but at least I've had them, Ethan was fooling around a hell of a long time before you two broke-up and as for Liam? You lost him to Annie too – and I mean who has there been since then Naomi? You can only sleep with a guy and not even leave him your number – because you're too afraid to commit to a relationship that you know might end badly." Silver glared at Naomi and she leered back fiercely. They paused as both their phones chimed with the arrival of a text and scanned at them and then looked one another in the eye.

Naomi threw up her hand and called a waiter over, cancelling their order and then grabbed her bag, Silver mirrored and they rose as one moving out in the street to where they'd left the car and settled into the open-top, vintage roadster, Naomi gunned the engine and they tore off along the road, Silver opened her phone and scanned through flight-times.

"Do we want to fly direct or switch-over?"

"Which is quicker?" Naomi quizzed.

"There's a flight leaving to New York at 16:30 and we could catch the flight to LA from there like two hours after that? Or we could fly direct but then we only leave Rome at like 19:30." Serena clued-up, having cross-referenced the earliest flight times.

Naomi paused for a moment, "Book us on the New York one," she handed over her phone, "can you call Celia – the housekeeper," she added when Serena gave her a quizzical look, "tell her to just pack our bags – she speaks English."

The roadster tore across the country-lanes as they were enveloped by the vast tracts of open fields on route to the Farmhouse, Silver cast her head skyward and looked toward the clouds, hoping that somehow her mental message of reassurance would reach Teddy. Hoping that Marco would pull through, hoping that they could get there in time, either way.

.

Ivy lingered at the edge of the waiting room, Teddy was sat as he had been intermittently for more than a day now, he looked like a wreck, sleep-deprived and shaking from a mixture of the amount of caffeine he was pumping his body full off in order to sustain himself through the day and his feelings of growing trepidation about the news that he knew as coming from the Doctor, Mrs Salazar was watching over Marco alone and Teddy was respecting her wish to be alone with his son, but Ivy could recognize that he wanted nothing more than to be Marco's side to hold him and tell him it would all be alright, until the end.

She crossed and settled beside him – being caring was not something that came easily to her, despite her compassionate nature, she had made her life in being detached from other people, from her father that had abandoned her, from her mother that lived around her rather than with her, even at times she'd been removed from Dixon, Liam and everyone that she was no so close to. She tenderly patted at his leg and he looked at her and smiled weakly and then the smile was extinguished as the display of friendship melted away beneath the tidal wave of pain just waiting to crash upon Teddy, any moment now Ivy reflected grimly.

"You know," she said softly in her most loving voice – for it was a kind of friendly love she felt for Teddy, with Dixon and Liam there had been love or an attachment, Teddy was her friend…through all the time she'd known him he'd always seemed so full of life, so full of joy and delight that she had never looked past it, to anyone looking at them they would seem curiously out-of-place, with Dixon and Liam she had after all had a bond that had at least for her been more than friends at one time or another, with Teddy he had just seemed…removed from their group, but that was wrong, so very wrong…she felt such feelings of sorrow that she had never made the time to be there for him, that they had ever allowed people to get that impression…now she would make amends, "you've always seemed…so brave…to me at least.

"You've taken everything in your stride and seemed so calm and serene about everything, so relaxed in the face of everything…everything that's happened to you, so strong and so resolute…in a way you're the most grounded of all of us, throughout all our dramas you've always been there to turn to…and," Ivy felt her voice break but forced herself on, "and somehow I think I've always known that, and been contented by it…but somehow I've neglected it…somehow I've always known that I should have tried more or done something to try and make a difference…Teddy I'm-"

"-Shhh," he interjected, smiling at her in that handsome way that would have prompted a _right-on_ from Ivy's Mom or made Naomi harass the boy until he slept with her…in Teddy it was just the sign of a friend who despite all his troubles, personal and otherwise would try and assuage everyone's problems and issues even though they were all of their own making…because he saw beyond the face value and formed attachments…because in a way behind the bravado he had always been insecure…and been so wonderful for that insecurity, "you don't need to say anything, just…just be here when I come out of there…because right now," he looked her straight in the eyes, "it is so hard to hold everything in…and hold it all back, and once it happens Ivy…I don't know what's going to happen." He looked away from her as a Doctor emerged and Teddy nodded, reaching out his hand and Ivy took it, holding it until he walked off in the direction of Marco's room, and Ivy found herself in floods of tears. Sobbing and crying out. Her body ached. And she felt all the worse knowing that her suffering was nothing in comparison to what he was about to go through, there was no way to draw comparisons, a part of him was about to die. Forever.

.

Hope you liked Chapter 2,

Reviews and responses as always are welcome,

Acrobat

X


	3. Chapter 3

**90210: 2012**

"There's my man." Marco reached out and touched at Teddy's face tenderly, cupping it in his hands and staring into the bold, blue, mournful eyes of his boyfriend, he looked up into those vast, watery eyes and almost lost himself, could feel himself sleeping into their embrace and then he stopped, and focused his own eyes, piercing through to Teddy's core, admiring him but regarding him – at a distance, from the distance they would have to take from now on.

"Is this real?" Teddy asked nervously, and Marco simply stroked reassuringly at the back of his neck.

"This is me," he countered – there was no point in distinguishing what was reality and what was fantasy, that would spoil the moment, the last real moment they would have together, "this is us – this is what it meant…to me at least…what knowing you meant. Do you remember the first time we met?"

Teddy let out an uncertain yet unprompted laugh, "Sure, I smacked you in the face with a tennis ball."

"It was unconventional," Marco smiled unreservedly, beaming with bittersweet love and adoration to be able to share these precious moments, "we were _unconventional_, at first you just wanted a hook-up…you wanted it to be a one night thing, but I held out hope, I said no at Spring Break – because I trusted that you'd come back to me, and you did…even if it took sleeping with your old roommate to show it to you," Teddy laughed nervously again and Marco lifted his hand from the back of his neck and held Teddy's left-hand lovingly, not tightly but with enough pressure to show he cared – if only as a representation of a fraction of the amount of love he had for him, "there've been good times and there've been bad times – but I never doubted you, even through our dark moments you were always there…my Knight in shining armour." He could see the tears forming in Teddy's eyes, threatening to break free and cascade down his face at any moment – but he couldn't let that happen, he couldn't let that tarnish this perfect moment.

"Why do you have to go?" Teddy prodded desperately, feeling as though the veil was being drawn back and his hold on the moment, on the present they were sharing was being torn from him.

"I'm not going, I'll never leave," Marco returned more forcefully, leading Teddy across the clean, immaculate hospital room and settling on a sofa, resting his head against Teddy's chest, leaning in so that his head rested against his beating heart, hearing it thump reassuringly, "anytime you need me you know I'll be here for you, in there," he said nuzzling against his chest to indicate his heart, "and in there," he bobbed his head to point at Teddy's heart, "even when you've moved on – and you will," he added before he received a protest, "because I want you to, because you have to – I'll always be here to talk to you or to help you in the dark times."

"I'm scared," Teddy voiced and Marco turned to look into those intoxicating, indigo eyes, so full of fear, so full of remorse, so full of terror – for someone that had always inspired such strength and fortitude Marco could see that the bravado was breaking down, that his shell had fractured and was falling away piece by piece, thought by thought as his brain continued to process what was happening around him, how his world was collapsing, "I don't know what to do without you – we were a team remember," he looked Marco in the eyes and the first tear escaped down his face, "we'd be together for ever, have each other's back…we'd win everything we entered because we're both so competitive and both so attuned to one another, if my heart skipped a beat so did yours, if you couldn't sleep neither could I…we were…we were _perfect_ together."

Marco laughed and looked into Teddy's eyes deeply and touched at the side of his face again, bringing him to focus upon Marco's own dark, resolute, controlled eyes, "It…it might be hard to process right now Teddy but Soulmates don't always live forever, people change, people grow – it might feel like perfection what you have with me right now, but someday you'll look back on this and realize how far you were from it," Marco smiled at him weakly, for the first time his own strength faltering as he felt the pain in his chest, the blood slowly trickling out of it as his body gradually closed-down, his vital organs ending their necessary functions, "you're destined for better things, but I'm so thankful to have known you." Marco leaned across and kissed him, softly on the lips and then Teddy felt himself crying, crying as he never had before.

Mrs Salazar hugged at his chest as Teddy felt Marco's hand slip away from him and the sterile hospital room cleared, it was dark again, night had fallen beyond the windows of the hospital and there was a single, painful, heart-wrenching tone droning through the hospital room. A Doctor was saying something but Teddy wasn't paying attention; he was looking at Marco – at his boyfriend's body, his motionless corpse lying on the bed, so serene, so tranquil, as if nothing had happened. As if nothing had ever gone wrong, as if they were still together somehow and Marco was just dozing because he'd worked his ass off at one of his jobs or at Soccer.

Teddy looked down at Mrs Salazar and gripped her tightly in an embrace, he had lost a boyfriend, she had lost a son, he could feel her tears beginning to stain his shirt and wet it but he didn't care, nothing mattered anymore, the shining light of his life had been extinguished and it was all gone, it was all over. He tuned back to the sounds of the room and felt a sob escape from him as he heard the Doctor speaking.

"_Time of death, ten forty-six pm." _

.

"How long has he been in there?" Silver asked as she nervously allowed her eyes to linger over the clock, 10:50, and then flickered back to Ivy – had the moment been, she should know shouldn't she? She should know whether something like this had happened, whether someone close to her had died…or should she not? There should be a sign, she should know, she should have felt something. She had come as soon as she'd landed, to be here, to be close to Teddy in his time of need.

"About ten minutes," Ivy shrugged and then wiped at her eyes, still wet and bleary after a brief descent into tears, "he was holding strong out here but once he comes back…I don't know Silver…I mean this might actually kill him you know."

She nodded receptively – she had dated him, she had known him inside and out – apart from him being gay but now she had gotten back to that almost forensic knowledge of what made Teddy tick, of how his body and mind worked, how he lived and how he carried on living – how he might carry on living after this was however cast in the shadow of a looming question mark. In all honesty she didn't know, she'd gotten past her mother dying but as cruel as it sounded her mother hadn't always been there for her, it was in a twisted way like losing a distant relative like an Aunt or a Cousin that you never spoke to – Marco had been a for more permanent and dominant part of Teddy's life. She wasn't even sure she could have dealt with it if something had happened to Navid, if something still did happen to him.

"You should…you should go," Silver suggested, "He won't want people crowding him."

"You know him best," Ivy conceded, she hugged Silver, and then pulled back, "just call me if you need any help or Dixon or any of the others, he needs you right now." Silver watched Ivy go and then settled into a chair facing the corridor to Marco's room, she tried to think of something to say – it needed to be compassionate, caring, warm, supportive and at the same time balanced by the gravity of the situation…but words failed her. What did she say to him? _Sorry your boyfriend got shot and died? Sorry he'll never be in your arms again? Sorry you'll never kiss him? _She didn't have anything to say to him, nothing sensible, nothing strong, nothing supportive, she was at a complete loss, she looked up as she heard footsteps coming along the corridor and she saw him, he was walking and he wasn't crying – his eyes were wet and bloodshot but he seemed somehow…resolute…against the storm, she stood up and straightened.

He reached her and then she opened her arms in what seemed like an extraordinarily friendly gesture for what had happened, but then she saw it – the emotion tugging at his façade, and then he was gushing, tears streaming down his face as he collapsed into her and Silver simply steered him toward the chair and hugged him, protectively, and sat there allowing him to pour out all his emotion onto her, and at that moment she felt a strange pang of pride. She was proud of him, because he hadn't done Marco's memory a disservice, he had held his composure until he couldn't any longer and now he was letting it all out – or some of it, she knew it wouldn't be as simple as letting out this first burst of sadness: but it was the first step. She lifted his head and plucked a tissue from her bag, wiping his tears as he waited and then urged him to stand and walked him out to his car and then halted as she spotted two Police Officers, walking up the hallway.

"Are you Teddy Montgomery?" one of them quizzed.

"He is." Silver interjected, she could already see where this was going and she didn't like it.

"We need to ask you a few questions about your boyfriend, could we do that now?"

Teddy was about to talk but Silver leaned across.

"His boyfriend just," she searched for a sensitive phrasing, "just…passed away, he needs some time…look just come by his Apartment tomorrow, until then he needs to rest…it's very…traumatic."

She didn't wait for the Officer to affirm what she said and brushed past them, steering Teddy out, downstairs and into her car in the lot, she was thankful tonight that she'd traded in the Moped for a Saloon – it wasn't as cheap but at least she could actually look after him this way. She settled him in the passenger seat and pulled away, looking at the mirrors and then breathed a sigh of relief, she looked over and he was fast asleep – the exhaustion had overcome him, she just hoped that when he came back to her he would be in the same mood, devastated but not angry.

She couldn't believe the officers either – how idiotic did you have to be? He'd just lost his boyfriend and they think he's in a fit state to question them? Why question him anyway – what would he know exactly? None of it made any sense…it was so unfair…so cruel, Teddy was the most compassionate, caring person she knew and he had had the person he cared most about in the world torn away from him, ripped away from his arms just in the beginnings of real love, true love – the kind of love that led you to marry a person. She looked towards the sky and at the sparse night-time traffic, dwelling gloomily upon how many other people in those cars around her had gone or were going through the same experience as Teddy. How many people had lost someone close to them?

.

Light was filtering through the drawn blinds into Silver's house, Teddy allowed his eyes to flicker open and immediately became aware of his surroundings – he recognized the house implicitly, it was…Silver in a building, quirky, exotic and somehow at the same time intelligent, bohemian but brainy – it was the kind of place that a spirit like Silver was most comfortable. Unfortunately it did nothing to assuage his inner sadness, he could still remember slipping away from Marco and watching him be lost forever, he sat up groggily and realized he was still wearing the same clothes he had been for the past few years – although he was stripped down to his briefs and tee now: had Silver done this? He couldn't remember much of the night before.

He stood up expectantly as the door opened and recognized Adrianna with Silver, the two chatting to one another in cheerful yet subdued tones, they looked at him and immediately fell silent, he frowned – this was exactly what he didn't want, Marco had been a huge part of Teddy's world but he didn't want them to stop – even if it was out of respect and love for him – they hadn't really known Marco and to Teddy's mind it made no sense for them to make such a sacrifice for him: they had lives to lead too and he knew Marco wouldn't want them to be fake sadness or mourning – that was wrong, completely wrong.

"Hey," Adrianna greeted uncertainly, "we were just out getting some breakfast," she produced a bag from a bakery, "croissant – your favourite right?" Teddy nodded and Adrianna crossed to the table with him while Silver bustled into the kitchen with some new found energy and produced some plates and cutlery for them to eat, completed by a second trip which returned jams and butter to the table. Adrianna bit her lip – a sign Teddy had come to associate with her not wanting to say something or being unsure of what impact it would have, "You seem, composed?"

Teddy nodded again – there was no point in airing how sad he truly was, that was something he had to deal with on his own, not something he had to dump onto his friends or weigh them down with – they had been good to him in supporting him thus far, he couldn't ask them for more than they'd already given him, they'd given up time to do shifts with him: it sounded cynical but he knew it was true, and he loved them all for it, but it wasn't right. He should be able to do this on his own – he would do it on his own.

"Did you sleep okay?" Silver prompted, taking a bite out of a piece of croissant smeared in apricot jam as she regarded him, trying to get a read on how he was feeling.

"It hurts but I'm dealing with it." He replied simply.

Adrianna exchanged a nervous look with Silver, then she gingerly extended a hand to Teddy's and touched at it – as they might have done as teenagers, "You know none of us expect you to hold it all in Teddy…we're your friends you know? You can talk to us, you should talk to us…I know we can't help and we didn't know Marco as intimately as you did but we're still here to talk or just to listen or to comfort…you know-"

"-I get it," he replied, suddenly realized how harsh it had sounded, "sorry – it's just…like you say you didn't know Marco…and I know to you it seems like the right thing to do to make a big show of it and to be here for me but if anything…I just don't wanna be crowded…you guys have already been so great, I mean Silver you flew home from Italy and Ade you took time off of work just for the sake of coming to spend a few hours at the hospital with me…you're all sacrificing so much and somehow that doesn't seem right. It isn't what Marco would've wanted for me, for you…if he could see us now this isn't what he'd have wanted…I don't mean to sound ungrateful either," he added hastily, "its just…that's just how it is."

Silver nodded, chewing it other mentally as well as physically as she ate another mouthful of croissant, "We can respect that, but please talk to us, even if it's just to listen, we want to make amends and we want to be here for you, Teddy no-one expects you to do this on your own, and you shouldn't it…it isn't healthy."

"Okay but just…just remember that there are things that I'd like to reflect on alone…stuff that I can't really discuss with you…intimate things…memories that I want to go over in my mind and refresh…things I have to do…there's a lot on my mind." He admitted sincerely – the sadness was the dominant thing, the feelings of loss and tragedy, but there was also the voices saying he might have saved him if he'd done something different or the roles might have been reversed and then there was the other talking about the Funeral and how that would play out, whether he should make an effort with Marco's Mom to organize it, or let her do it – did he offer to pay for it?

"Sure – but we can help with that," Adrianna said in what she hoped was a reassuring voice, loss wasn't something she was accustomed deal with, especially not so relatively close to her, giving up her baby had been hard but that wasn't loss like this, this was permanent, "and we want to Teddy – it isn't any trouble, the Station has said I can just work when I want to so I'm always here, and so is Silver, Dixon, Liam, Ivy, Annie – everyone's here for you Teddy, just say the word."

"Thanks I guess," he said with more appreciation than the statement might have normally merited, he looked toward Silver, "have…have the Police called again?"

"No but I brought you here anyway…to give you some privacy, I guessed they'd call at your place so I thought I'd make sure you had some time…it isn't much but I thought it might be enough to give you time to deal with even a little bit of your pain – even if it eased any of it then it was worth it…you don't need some Cops harassing you about it." She was careful not to mention the actual words – she didn't want to cause any unnecessary pain.

"Thank you," he paused at the knock at the door and Silver rose to answer it, Teddy listened to it and then paused, "I'm in here." The officers crossed the threshold – two of them, tall and built – the epitome of what one might imagine the courageous Police Officer to be.

"We're truly sorry for your loss Mr Montgomery," the leader of the two, a brunette with short, cropped hair intoned, "but we need to take a statement from you if that would be possible," he paused for a moment as if deliberating, "maybe I could just give you a ride home and I could take it there? Do you mind getting a ride back yourself?" he pressed his buddy who shook his head deferentially.

"Sure…that'd be fine," Teddy said calmly, "just let me get my stuff together."

"I'll help," Silver said moving off to help him find his clothes. Adrianna watched them go and then her eyes flickered back to the lingering Officer – his partner had left them to it – she looked into the Officer's eyes and she saw genuine compassion, something she hadn't honestly been expecting, not that she doubted individual Police commitment to separate cases but he certainly seemed…more in touch with the situation than she'd imagined. He was probably only a couple of years older than them and he had a twinkle to his eye – something, something that although she couldn't be certain she thought she recognized. There was something more than compassion there although she couldn't be sure what exactly that was.

.

Navid paused to examine the spreadsheet – the profits all seemed in order, except a glaring hole where some money from the Shakira video shoot should have been – he cursed having been taken in by his Uncle, having lost Silver and all his friends over it and paused to consider how far he had fallen, he opened the task and looked down at the collection of pills stored in containers…would he end it all, could he, was there anything that was still worth living for?

. . .

Hope you liked Chapter 3,

Reviews and responses appreciated and as always welcome,

Acrobat

X


	4. Chapter 4

**90210: 2012**

Navid slammed the draw shut forcefully – he couldn't even believe he'd considered taking his life, how selfish did that make him? After he was the one in the wrong he wanted to take the cowards way out, just because things weren't going his way, he had been the one that had dumped Silver and hadn't believed Dixon – his friend, instead he'd chosen to believe in an estranged Uncle who had know robbed him of hundreds of thousands of dollars – and somehow the money didn't seem to matter, because without friends there was no point to money, because all you could do was spend it on yourself, try to reassure yourself that everything was fine by buying things to tell you it was – like a pool or a new Ferrari, or trying to lure yourself into confidence that everything you'd done had been right: that you hadn't done anything wrong. But eventually one day you woke up and realized that you were a lonely, shadow of yourself – that realisation had just hit him in the face.

"Kim can you come in here – I've got some things I need to discuss with you."

.

Silver relaxed onto the sofa, the cooling glass of tea cupped in her hands as Annie looked at her and smiled sympathetically, she looked very stressed and tired, but there was also a great sadness in her – naturally, Annie understood implicitly that she felt a special bond with connection, and clearly losing Marco had upset him more which had transpired into upsetting her – she hated seeing people lose those close to them, it had been a trait that had been born out of the death of her mother, Marco's passing was probably only liable to cause her undue pain.

"How is he?" Annie quizzed uncertainly – there was no point in beating about the bush where this was concerned, they both knew what the conversation was about.

"He's…composed I guess," Silver admitted truthfully – she had never seen a person so calm about a loss though she understood some of that was show and sheer fortitude, he was trying to be strong for Marco's memory, "I just…I want to help him, for how good he was to me when my Mom passed away…but he just doesn't seem to want any of our help…which I guess is his right?" she looked to Annie for confirmation but she just nodded uncertainly, "He just…I think he doesn't want us to help because you know…we didn't really make all that much effort with Marco – to get to know him I mean..." she allowed her words to be lost to the air as she lost her train of thought.

Annie bobbed her head once more, "It makes sense though…I mean it's almost as if we're all trying to make up now that he died…so I guess Teddy's maybe a little annoyed about that…but I don't think that means we stop…he's hurting right now and that's natural, we just…for now at least have to try and be there for him, however we can, Liam's going to see him so maybe he'll get some sense out of him."

"Oh," Silver said, sounding mildly surprised, "erm…I think there might be a Police Officer round there asking some questions."

Annie looked mortified, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize – it's just when Ade called us she made it sound like he needed a guy to talk to, so I just thought I'd suggest Liam went and saw him."

Silver nodded and frowned, "God I didn't even ask how your honeymoon was-"

"-I get it Silver," Annie said, smiling sweetly at her friend, "you have a lot on your mind, we all do…and it was great, really…beautiful…a beautiful, happy vacation."

"You don't sound so happy?" Silver probed, she needed something to distract her and Annie's distracted tone, coupled with her protestations of a wonderful vacation had given her an interest – she couldn't fully distract herself from Teddy or from the ordeal he was going through but she could look to her friends to give her just a little time away from it.

"Yeah…well I mean we got some news, besides Teddy I mean before we left," Annie said slowly, "Liam's…his Dad is back in town – his Mom called him to tell him that he'd been up at there house looking for him and then he'd left them, I mean I haven't had the full story yet but Liam sounded…worried…I'm just hoping he doesn't get his hopes up like he did last time."

Silver nodded absent-mindedly, "So what are you gonna do?"

Annie shrugged, "I'll just let Liam handle it – I thought Adrianna was coming over with you anyway?"

"She was but then…_Navid_ called her right as we were about to leave so she's headed over to the Studios."

Annie regarded Silver, in all the time she'd known her she'd known that Silver could dislike, distrust and disapprove of people but she'd never actually seen her hate someone as much as she hated Navid, it was that strong an emotion, she couldn't stand to be around him when a few weeks earlier she would happily have fallen into his arms and made love to him, now she was just consumed by hate for him and sadness for Teddy…somewhere she had lost the joyful twinkle in her eye that had always signified that Silver had arrived.

.

Naomi paused outside the editor's office and rummaged about in her purse, nervously applying the blood-red lipstick once she found it, and then entered at the urging of the Secretary. Maria Girard was, putting it mildly, a demanding boss. She hated it if the US Edition of _Love and Kisses_ had less famous stars on its covers than its French or Italian sister publications, and she hated it even more when people messed up on photo shoots or on collecting stories as Naomi had learned to her cost in her few first weeks at the internship – which was exactly why she'd applied for the Italy transfer, sadly now she was home she needed to grovel for her old job and something told her that explaining that a friend had recently suffered a great loss so she needed to be close by to help just wasn't going to cut it.

She seated herself in a chair as Maria entered from another room, talking animatedly in Italian on the phone before she sank into the swivel-chair, she ended then call and then she did something that made Naomi's anxiety-scope shoot of the reading: she smiled at Naomi. She actually smiled, showing all her perfectly chemically-whitened teeth (not that she'd admit to it of course) to Naomi and Naomi smiled back uncertainly, "I was just talking to Lorenzo, one of the women you were working in that Office for, she was very impressed," Maria praised and Naomi fought back the urge to blush like a kindergartener, "she said you have a natural eye for fashion, your hair has always been immaculate and that despite a language barrier you quickly picked up fluency in a foreign language which…for an intern is…nothing short of extraordinary."

"So I did well?" Naomi prodded.

"You were amazing and you've got Cassandra that bitch at the Italian Magazine fuming that you left so suddenly – I assume you want your old job back?" Maria prompted and Naomi was taken aback – was it really going to be this easy? Naomi had known she could be a bitch but she hadn't realized that she was only minor league on the scale of bitchiness when she was being mean, she had reduced individual girls to tears sometimes, Maria had made a living out of it…for more than twenty-years, if you didn't believe her claim to be a mature 38 then more like thirty years, and she was _great_ at what she did, could you be good at being a bitch? Something about that just didn't tally with random praise and endorsement.

"Of course I want it back!" Naomi enthused – there was no point in holding back.

"And how about a Salary?" Naomi felt as if she had dollar signs plastered to her eyeballs as she pondered over having a huge career in fashion and only being slightly shy of 20, she would be better than anyone, she would be better than Whitney Port or Lauren Conrad – she would be the intern kid that rocked her way to the top and didn't need an MTV Reality Show to pilot her fashion career off. "There's just one condition," and Naomi felt as if someone had smashed her glass, crystal-clear future with a sledge-hammer, suddenly Maria didn't seem so much like an Angel as an Executioner, standing with a black bandana over her head and a vicious expression on her face, "it's a fulltime position."

College? Now she had her inner conflict to deal with – in a few seconds only. College meant a solid academic grounding for the future, she would actually have graduated in something other than begin completely gorgeous and she would have skills she could apply to the workplace in the _future_. Taking a job in an industry as volatile as the Fashion Industry meant a salary – not that she exactly needed money with access to her trust-fund but having her own money to fall back on wasn't exactly stupid and it was what she loved, and what she wanted to do with her life. It was just the risks that worried her, if something went wrong then she'd be out in the cold, on her own, without anything to do with herself and she'd just become another trust-fund-kid, which was definitely a label she didn't want to wear her whole life. She could see herself in the world of Fashion, at her desk organizing shows or planning photo shoots with the biggest movie-stars from around the world, it would be _unforgettable_.

"I'll do it!" she affirmed ecstatically.

Maria grinned back at her, "You won't regret this Naomi, _Love & Kisses_ can offer you so much, just as you can offer us something in return – a valued worker and member of the team, do you think you could start this Monday for us?"

"Are you kidding?" Naomi laughed, "If I get my own Office I can start today!"

She felt a feeling of achievement and vindication, although she wasn't entirely sure why she should've felt that way, she looked up and the sun was gleaming, which she thought to herself clearly reflected her sunny disposition: it after all had nothing to do whatsoever with the generally amazing weather that LA experienced all year round.

She placed her huge Chanel sunglasses on and strolled purposefully away, showing off her amazing legs in her miniskirt and the gorgeous new Jimmy Choo's she'd picked out specially while she'd been in Florence for work the week before, the prospects for what should've been a boring week were looking up, she began dialling Silver's number into her phone and then thought better of it – there was no point in hosting a party this week, she would still be acting as supportive friend to Teddy. She'd have to think of something else, but that didn't matter, nothing could rain on her parade.

.

Teddy settled in the seat at the breakfast bar – his seat, Marco had always sat on the right as the Police Officer sat down beside him, his name badge read CAMPBELL but Teddy guessed that was just his surname, the guy at least seemed sincere unlike the ones from the hospital the night before, he also seemed calm and comprehending, as though he understood the gravity of such a loss and didn't want to make any thing worse, in fact he looked as if he was specifically deciding how to phrase something in order not to cause offence.

"Sorry…you can call me Doug," he shrugged, "I just…I thought I'd actually know how to approach a case like this…I went through something similar myself…but I guess you never really know how to do it…let's just…look I'm gonna level with you…I shouldn't cause it goes against protocol and everything but…basically the fact that your boyfriend was shot and the car was returned…means it's a murder investigation now – we removed the bullet and took samples from it, and that's why your car wasn't at the hospital when you got there as our forensics team are looking over it. Let's just…start easy do you have any enemies?"

Teddy shook his head, "Not that I'm aware off."

"Alright did Marco have any enemies?"

"Again…I don't know, sorry."

Doug nodded, scribbling some things down onto his pad, "Did Marco say if he was doing anything different the night that he got shot?"

Teddy froze at that point, his mind filtered away from that breakfast bar to the few moments before Marco left the very apartment he sat in for the last time, they had been talking and watching a movie and Teddy had said he'd run to the store and by some popcorn, but Marco had pointed out Teddy had done it the last three times and that he'd do it this time, he'd also alluded to buying some whipped cream for after the movie and that had set Teddy's mind racing, as a couple they could be…pretty wild in the bedroom – although Teddy wasn't sure whether deciding to buy some whipped cream constituted something out of the ordinary, the only different thing was he'd loaned him his keys instead of Marco driving his own car which he guessed was why the Cop…_Doug_ he corrected had asked him if he had any enemies, in case it was mistaken identity. He had watched Marco leave out of the driveway, had a beer, looked through his Facebook and then after a few hours he'd gotten worried, decided upon calling the Police and then the phone had rang – the Hospital, telling him Marco had just been brought in and his world collapsed.

"I guess not," Teddy replied simply, "I mean he was just running to the store for some groceries, and obviously I loaned him my car."

"How come?" Doug pried but in a calm, relaxed way, "he didn't like his own one?"

"Nothing like that, I just knew he got a kick out of driving my car, besides he's lucky if his does sixty going downhill with a tailwind," he joked although Doug gave only the slightest of smiles, "and mine goes faster…I just wanted him home…safe and…sound." Teddy fought back tears at that point as he once more played over the routine of him volunteering to go and get the stuff, or them going together, thinking he might have taken the bullet or wrestled the assailant and saved Marco. How things might have been different.

"Are you okay to go on?" Doug quizzed sympathetically, his eyes seeming tranquil and comforting.

Teddy nodded after a few moments.

"You know what…this is probably a little intense…here's my card," he handed it over and Teddy briefly scanned it, "call me in a couple of days and I can follow this up – and off the record, you can talk to me about it if you want to, I'm a qualified counsellor…if you need it I mean." He stood up and turned on his heel, Teddy crossed and opened the door and bid him farewell and then grinned weakly as Liam approached up the pathway – his beautiful vintage Mustang parked haphazardly on the drive. He extended his hand and Teddy grabbed it, the two leaning in until they collided in their traditional greeting. Teddy led him into the house and Liam took a seat at the bar as Teddy had a few minutes before.

"So how was the honeymoon man?" he really didn't want to go through stuff about Marco again, it was almost in a way shameful that he couldn't confront his feelings, even with one of his best friends, but he just needed to take his mind of it and deal with it in little…sittings…maybe he would talk to the Cop about his feelings, if he thought that might help…he wasn't even sure what he wanted to do anymore, did he need someone to talk to? Is that what people did?

"Pretty sweet," Liam smirked in that confident way that Teddy had learned during their friendship to mean that Liam and Annie had spent most of the trip in bed together, it was so refreshing – someone actually acting as if nothing was different, and he was grateful for it, "Annie saw her Grandma too so she was pretty happy and I actually won some money on the tables so yeah, not a bad trip."

"We should go sometimes – a guy's trip," Teddy suggested brightly, and then his grin faltered, he caught Liam's look which had changed to one of deeper understanding, showing that he cared but that he understood a distraction might be better than a discussion, "sorry it's just…hard."

Liam nodded, "I can't even begin to understand what your going through man, it's…it's scary, really scary, that someone can be taken away from you…and I'm not gonna beat about the bush because I respect you and I wouldn't expect you to act differently than you had…I didn't really know Marco…and I should've taken the chance to get to know him…all I can do is just support you in whatever you want to do and be here for you, whether you wanna go shoot some pool at the beach club, grab a couple of beers at a bar or you know…whether you just wanna talk and crap."

Somewhere deep inside of himself Teddy was happy that he had a friend like Liam, Dixon and despite his flaws even Navid were both pretty great too but Liam…he'd always understood Teddy a lot better than the other two and he'd always been straight with him, he'd accepted Teddy for who he was even if he was adjusting to it, and they'd become closer because of it – not in any overt sense, Liam wasn't Teddy's type…if he even had a type…they were just great friends. Ones that would stand the test of time, Dixon was almost as good but somehow…he rushed to quickly to act differently depending on the situation and Navid…tended to mess up a lot of the time. Without meaning to, but he did, and after a while it left you wondering whether he should've really done things differently, behaved better – learnt from his mistakes.

"I've done enough talking," Teddy mused aloud, "but thank you, for being here for me I mean…it means a lot, and that you're being straight with me too."

Liam nodded graciously, Annie was amazing and he loved spending time with her as his wife, but sometimes he liked spending time with his guys, having some time to himself, he wasn't explicitly a lone wolf but he preferred to be a part of the Wolf pack: with Teddy at least compared to the other two he knew where he stood, and Teddy could actually party as hard as he did – with Dixon and Navid you were looking if they'd even finished a six-pack before they crashed and were either throwing up or fast asleep. He'd been a great friend, now Liam could return the favour.

.

Hope you liked Chapter 4,

Reviews and responses as always welcome,

5 up in the near future,

Acrobat

X


	5. Chapter 5

**90210: 2012**

"You called?" Adrianna asked as Navid escorted her into his Office, a few years ago when they'd been a couple it might have been cute, now it just seemed creepy and wrong, completely wrong, why she'd even decided to come she didn't know: maybe it had been the use of the word _emergency_? Of course she associated that with being hold hostage at gunpoint or finding out you have cancer – not, I need a quiet word with you in my Office, which it had become painfully clear since he'd kept her waiting for two hours while he discussed things with his Secretary – Kim, slutty and wearing one of those tops that made her already full chest seem…ridiculous, in fact Ade was almost certain they weren't real.

She settled into one of the armchair's and waited, fuming only mildly as he took what seemed like an age to circle round his desk and settle into his chair, he looked at her and smiled as though he were a College Interviewer or something, as though he was over sixty. It was very Navid. It was also _very annoying_. Adrianna looked out the window towards the deep, blue waters of the ocean and reflected she could have actually been at the beach enjoying herself – in fact she could have been anywhere but here, at the same time she also recognized that she was acutely annoyed for another reason. She'd been neglecting her relationship with Teddy and wanted to help him through the time rather than letting Silver take all the burden, being stuck with Navid in his Office – which was decorated with exceedingly poor taste, _his _taste she reminded herself – was…suffocating.

"I did, I need your help."

"And why would I help you?" Adrianna quizzed, "Because you broke up with Silver and believed your crazy Uncle, or that you fired Dixon rather than listen to one of your oldest friends, one of your oldest friends since I seem to remember, before the Wilson's came to town Navid you had _no-one_." She was being deliberately harsh – not that it was out of character – but he needed to hear this, he needed to know that they still weren't at the forgive and forget stage, he hadn't actually apologized yet, officially, to any of them – he hadn't even started taking baby steps toward reconciliation. And now he wanted a favour. Typical Navid.

"I deserve that," he said and suddenly he sounded very mature again, very world-wise, as though he'd seen the globe and understood everything in perspective, Adrianna without even thinking about let out a sigh longing for Navid to have stopped fooling around and have actually grown up, "and I want to make a change Adrianna. Do you know a few hours ago I contemplated committing suicide?"

She sat up at that point but didn't let surprise twitch across her face in an intrigued expression, for all she knew this was just an elaborate stunt – a very elaborate one but she wouldn't but it past Navid, if he could be theatrical in a relationship, he could be theatrical outside of one – perhaps his thespian side had yet to manifest itself publically.

"Navid cut the crap," she said brutally, meaning every word to sound as cold-hearted as it came out, "stop using big-words, talk like the real you because if you don't stop this whole sage-act then I will walk out that door and I doubt if anyone will come back through to give you a second chance, I know I won't."

"How do I get you guys back?" he said, and suddenly he seemed desperate, his eyes like those of a Puppy beginning for a scrap from the table, his voice like a man on his last legs – maybe he had been telling the truth about suicide, his entire body language suddenly deflating, his bravado of before banished – and so easily too. Suddenly she felt a pang of sympathy and then extinguished it, nothing excused what he had done and she couldn't just forget it because he fluttered his eyelashes, neither could any of the others.

Adrianna settled back in her chair, "Apologizing would be a start Navid, apologizing and then a hell of a lot of grovelling from a distance."

"We can't just-"

"-no, Navid," Adrianna replied robustly, "we can't just go back to being friends and all going around together like at the Camping Trip, or before any of this happened to us Navid…you're acting like a kid when the rest of us are maturing, you should trust us by now and know when we're telling you the truth – but you don't, you're still the guy that ran the College magazine, you might be running a multi-Million dollar Company here Navid but so what? You just…you need to take a long look at yourself and figure out how to do what you have to," Adrianna rose and picked up her purse, strutting out of the room confident that she might at least have dented his ego and landed the message hope loud and clear to him, maybe if she was lucky he might actually be receptive to what she said and changed, she paused on the threshold of the door, "and fire Kim, she's a slut and an accident waiting to happen."

Navid watched her go and suddenly felt confused, it was so much more complicated than she made it sound, and an apology wouldn't be adequate in some people's cases…he wasn't even sure if he was on speaking terms with some of them. Suddenly the pills didn't seem like such a bad option.

.

"How did he seem?" Annie quizzed as she perched on the work surface above the cabinets, crossing and uncrossing her legs – between Marco's death and the return of Liam's Dad she'd been on edge, neither event particularly affected her but somehow she had become absorbed by the situation despite her remoteness from them. She knew that part of her wanted everything to subside so she could return to the Acting Jobs that she had started turning down to take time off to be there for her friends, purely because their bank balance was dangerously close to slipping into the red and she couldn't let them go under – at the same time she was acutely aware of how that would be perceived.

"Composed…more composed than I thought he'd be but I guess some of that was for me," Liam said, opening a Coke and tossing another can to Annie, "in all honesty I don't know how he's doing…we aren't exactly guys that like to discuss our feelings openly…I'm not even sure exactly how to help him, and I don't get why Silver thought I'd be the guy for the job anyway…cause clearly I didn't help him." Annie let the can fall from her hand and bounce along the floor – was Liam about to? Yes he was, he was crying, she could see the tear trailing down his face. She crossed the room in a heartbeat and cupped his face in her hands, looking up into them.

"Liam," she looked up at him, exuding warmth and love from her eyes toward him, "do you know the reason why I know you helped Teddy? Because you wouldn't have come home if you hadn't done something, your head might tell you one thing but in your heart you know that you did what you're meant to as a friend, and what you're going to keep doing – because you care Liam, you might act the tough guy, and you might act as though you aren't attuned to your feelings but you love everyone of your friends so much. That's how I know you didn't leave Teddy without helping him, he might not be better, or over Marco yet, that's going to take months, maybe years even for him to get past this – you just have to be there to help him Liam, and you're doing that already which is what counts," she wiped the tear from his eye, "but this isn't all about Teddy is it?" He shook his head and pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to her, she opened the inbox and checked his text.

"My Dad is back in town, he's back in town and he's also on bail for attempted theft," Liam clued-up as she absorbed the text – from his Mom – about his father, "I knew my Dad had sunk low but I never expected it come to this Annie…he's going to prison…when Mom first told me he was back I thought she meant passing through, trying to get money out of us…but to find this out…it puts everything in perspective," he pulled away from her and stood beside the door to their balcony for a moment, "do you think…I mean do I go and see him, before he goes to trial?"

Annie regarded him and found herself torn. Liam's Dad was destructive that much she had always understood about the man, but despite how he had treated Liam she had never doubted that somewhere there was affection for his son, if he went to Prison without reconciling with his father there wouldn't be a reconciliation just a plastic window and a telephone – sure he wouldn't be in there for life but when he got out would he be embittered? Never talk to his son again, even if the experience had reformed him and steered him away from a life of crime?

"I don't think I can take that decision for you," she replied quietly, unsure of how he would respond to that, "I can make it with you but I can't take it for you Liam. It's a question of whether you think he's just going to bring you more pain and hurt to see him now at his lowest ebb, or whether you'd feel worse to never speak to him again? I mean you don't know how he's going to respond to prison life but I'd say there's a high chance he'll want to move-on from his life, if you aren't with him every step of the way you might lose any parent you ever knew…I know my parents try to be there for you, for us – but…having that bond with your Dad might be a good thing…if you can still salvage your relationship."

Liam considered his father – he had variously been a symbol of violence, anger, hatred even sometimes in his life…other times he had been the perfect father, the one every boy dreams off, the one who does all the things a Dad should do…plays catch with you in the yard, takes you sailing…the Dad that is there for you whenever you need him. But the bad outweighed the good, how many times had he really been there to help Liam in a rough patch? Liam had found things out for his own, true he had had a streak of bad behaviour but he'd gotten through his jackass stage, he was trying to do better now.

"With everything else going on my Dad is…not my biggest priority…but I'll go see him…once…and then at least I'll have closure."

Annie nodded approvingly and turned back to pick up her can of coke as she heard the doorbell chime out and Liam open the door, and then yell out as he was felled to the floor by a baseball bat. Annie turned around and looked as the masked-men swept into her apartment. The can dropped from her hand for a second time and she screamed before being smacked across the back of her head with the same bat that had struck Liam. She felt hurled into the blackness around her as she was dragged from the apartment, bundled into a car and driven away.

.

It might have been a Funeral but at least she had looked fabulous to lift everyone's spirits. Naomi once more glanced at herself in the mirror, her skin-tight black dress was cut-short a few feet above her knees and was one-shoulder, showing of more of her perfectly golden-tanned skin. She had tied her hair tightly back into a pony-tail that allowed her to appear natural and gorgeous at the Funeral – Marco had after all played on a Soccer Team, she had hoped secretly that she might hook up with one of his Athletic friends. She looked to Silver and received one of the most venomous looks that she had ever received from her friend and immediately focused back upon being there for Teddy.

They had both decided (well Silver had decided, Naomi had _listened_) that they would go to the Funeral and they alone since they had the least commitments and since Teddy had already told them that they didn't have to go since he wasn't sure whether it was right they should go since they hadn't known Marco, although Silver had informed Naomi point-blank they had to go since it would look awful if none of Teddy's bestfriends went to the Funeral. She put her mascara back in her clutch and walked out of the room, followed by Silver whose choice of mock-1950s style long dress, pinched in at the waist to show off her skinny, toned upper body, while allowing her legs to remain and object of mystery, apart from her ankles – her feet being concealed by her kitten heels, seemed rather more dignified than Naomi's funeral-chic choice.

Teddy was saying his goodbyes to Marco's parents and close family and then parted the ceremony – Silver stifled a smile at how chivalrous he was being, leaving the Wedding because he had been such a small part of Marco's life, even though his Parents had wanted him to stay longer, she had met Marco's five ex-boyfriends and was glad that Teddy had been the last, the one to go out on – the one Marco had actually loved, the others had been superficial in three cases and too bohemian in the other two, Teddy was the right fit. She fought back a tear as she thought of the perfect future that would never be.

She slipped into the back of Naomi's ivory-white BMW convertible, letting Teddy have the passenger while Naomi slipped into the driver's side, she pulled out and then furiously accelerated out of the lot – she hated traffic and the way that people were starting to leave the Funeral they would have been backed up and stuck for hours in it, and wearing black in the hundred-degree heat was not advisable, especially since she lacked even a fan to give herself a mildly refreshing breeze.

"It was a beautiful ceremony," She murmured once they were safely away and moving along the highway at speed, "he would have been proud of you." She wasn't sure where this sentimental side to her had come from but she was quite pleased with it, it was a nice addition, one that she could use to her advantage in work whenever she was doing something in competition with her co-workers – she didn't buy all the crap about co-operating with your co-workers, you were fighting against them, it was war, and you had to win every battle or you'd lose and be swept away. She focused back upon the present once more, glancing at Teddy and seeing that he remained relatively calm considering how distraught she'd presumed he would be.

Silver added encouragingly, "For what it's worth I think the way that you behaved in there was…amazing Teddy…wherever he is now he's definitely proud of you, of how you conducted yourself, of how you behaved around his family, of everything you did Teddy."

"Thanks," he murmured distractedly, "and thank you two for coming today…I know I was being…a little frosty at first but I guess…I guess I didn't realize how important it is to have friends to fall back on in the hard times – so what do you want to do tonight?"

Naomi seemed taken aback, she'd assumed they'd just hang around his apartment for a couple of hours, "I…don't have any plans." She admitted shooting Silver a bemused look in the mirror.

"Neither," Silver murmured, she continued tactfully, "what do you want to do?"

"I guess just be around my friends and…relax you know?"

Silver nodded, opening her phone and typing a message to everyone telling them to meet them at the Beach Club, "Sure, I think most of us are going to the beach club, so we can all just meet up there and hang out?"

He nodded approvingly and then cast his head toward the ocean, for so long that had signified his relationship with Marco – the ocean, relaxing by the beach, long strolls in the shallows as the sun was setting on the horizon, and now it was all gone, as though part of his world had just been torn from him, swallowed up by the deep and dragged down into the abyss. Now he had to try and get over it, he pulled out his phone and answered the unknown number.

"Hey," he paused, "oh the Cop from the other day, sorry I didn't call you back…I had the Funeral today…I mean I could come down now if that'd help? Okay I'll see you in like half an hour, bye."

Naomi turned to look at him, wondering whether that had been what it sounded like, then she recognized, "_come down"_ and realized he wasn't already dating, she rolled her eyes in disappointment, "You want me to swing by the station?"

"If you could?" Teddy asked and she nodded, Silver hammered out a cancellation text and sat back in her seat and then felt the urge to swear at the sky for all she cared as she received another text from Navid. Some people just didn't know when to stop.

.

"So what's the big news?" Dixon quizzed as he returned, still jobless, after a fruitless day of searching for internships at PR companies, Ivy was sat on their terrace, waxing down one of her new boards – given to her by a company for having won several competitions, a little token of their esteem – likely still angling for a sponsorship deal with her.

"Well…I didn't want to tell you till I was sure but I am now," Dixon gave her a puzzled look and she grinned, "I took a test too and well…I'm pregnant."

If she'd been expecting him to punch his fist in the air in excitement she was sorely disappointed, Dixon just frowned and started to brood, looking out to the sea before turning back to her, his face clearly devastated by the news and seeming completely indifferent to the elation she had been feeling a few moments before, "That's great." He replied flatly.

"What is your problem?" Ivy asked, "You were the one that said you'd love to have a family!"

"When we were older Ivy – I don't have a job and your pregnant…and if you aren't working that means we have no income." He slammed the door angrily and she went to follow him and then took a deep breath and settled back in her chair, she pulled out her phone as it was vibrating and listened to the voice on the other end, "Yeah who is this?" she felt the phone drop from her hand and smash onto the floor in the same instant.

.

Hope you liked 5,

Reviews and responses welcome and appreciated,

Acrobat

X


	6. Chapter 6

**90210: 2012**

A week ago she'd been in that exact same waiting room, waiting with Teddy for Marco's time to come. She had been detached and removed from the sadness and the tragedy of the building – the place where most came to die, now she was at the epicentre of the explosion of emotions that must trouble anyone when they fear for the life of someone close to her. Dixon had stayed curiously removed from her – he should have been comforting her, but the news about her pregnancy was something he was finding hard to process and clearly he didn't think it was right to comfort her. Not that a hug was going to make it better. Her Mother was in the Hospital…she might even be dying for all she knew, in a room somewhere with dozens of tubes sticking out of her and Doctors clustered around trying to figure out how to save her. How they _would_ save her, Ivy corrected, she wasn't about to let her Mom die.

She looked up as the Doctor strode out – she was a deep-tanned colour with contrasting dark hair and glossy, emerald eyes, she settled into the seat next to Ivy and Ivy could see that the Doctor had had some difficulty considering how short her skirt was: this was the person that was treating her mother? A whore in a Doctor's uniform?

"You're the daughter?" she asked, the tone wasn't accusing or disparaging, it was comforting, Ivy immediately relented in her antipathy towards the woman, maybe she wasn't so bad. Ivy nodded nervously, unsure of whether she wished she'd done that. "You're Mom's stabilized…but she's very weak…you can go in but your boyfriend can stay outside…and don't be too taxing…she's had a very close scare." Ivy nodded and followed the Doctor along the corridor and into the Medical Room, it looked out towards the sandy beach and the sapphire-coloured ocean beyond – at least her Mom had a nice view. Laurel smiled and extended her hand to her daughter, Ivy took it and gingerly squeezed.

"I'll leave you two alone." The Doctor said and departed.

"She said you've _stabilized_?" Ivy prompted, was _stabilized_ medical speak for better now or did it just mean she wouldn't get any worse?

Laurel shrugged, "I had…a turn Ivy…a…it was sort of a fit."

Ivy raised an eyebrow but cut off her rising panic, "What kind of a fit?"

Laurel shrugged again, "Honey I'm not a Doctor…but they are…and…they think they know what caused it."

Ivy gave her a probing look, "So you're epileptic?"

Laurel shook her head and even laughed a little.

"If only it were that simple sweetie," she reached out a hand to pull a strand of wayward hair out of Ivy's face but Ivy batted the hand away, she wasn't going to be distracted, "they found a tumour…well several tumours actually…cancerous tumours Ivy…and they're pretty advanced."

"Yeah but they have chemotherapy or radiotherapy and stuff don't they?" Ivy probed, she wasn't listening properly, she couldn't, listening properly meant admitting her Mom was ill, really ill, it meant acknowledging that her Mom was actually dying, that she'd be burying her in a few weeks time.

"Honey…I don't want to spend the last few _months_ of my life," that broke Ivy and she felt a tear break free from her watering eyes, "in pain…suffering…any more than I have to, I'm not taking any of the treatments, I want to enjoy my life and spend it with the people that I love…before I go…Honey say something…please."

"What do you want me to say Mom?" Ivy heard the tears streaming, she could feel tears falling even harder…her Mom would never see her grandchild, never see her get Married, never be there for a Family Thanksgiving or Christmas…or Pagan Ceremony or whatever they decided to do…she was going to miss so much, "Because honestly I'm not sure how I'm meant to react to this."

Laurel nodded understandingly, "Can't you talk to some of your friends?"

"My friends?" Ivy said disdainfully, "Please Mom I'm not talking about my family life to them…there's enough drama going on."

"Well maybe this would bring them all back together?" Laurel suggested and instantly realized she'd said the wrong think as Ivy's face turned thunderstruck.

"I'm not using you to glue my friends back together when you're dying!" she sprang up from her chair and grabbed her purse which she'd dropped to the floor, sprinting out of the room and hurtling along the corridor, she felt warm, and stressed, and tired, she cruised along and out into the Waiting Room, bypassing Dixon who turned to sprint after her but she gestured a hand for him to stop following and ducked into the bathroom. Shutting one of the stall doors behind her and sitting on the toilet, her head in her hands. Everything was falling apart. _Everything_.

.

"So what do you remember about the night that Marco…was shot?" Doug started, Teddy understood from the awkward look on his face that he was already regretting his wording and wishing he could have said it more sensitively somehow, he was at least happy for that token, even if he had to talk at the Police Station. He knew he wasn't on trial…at least he thought he wasn't…but something about the surroundings left him deeply uncomfortable.

"Honestly it was just like any other night," Teddy admitted sincerely, they spent most of their nights either eating dinner in, lounging around the apartment or sometimes they'd go for a run on the beach before going to bed – not that that necessarily implied sleeping, "we were just gonna watch a movie…Marco said he'd go and get the popcorn…and I loaned him my car because I knew he liked to drive it, I asked to go with him but he said he didn't want me to. He was caring…he cared about me…he…I guess he was trying to look after me or something."

Doug nodded, scribbling a few things down into his notebook, Teddy would've referred to him as Officer Campbell but he'd insisted on a first-name basis scenario, "Do you have enemies?"

Teddy shrugged, "Not anyone that would do this…I mean sure I guess I was kind of a dick to some people when I was at Exeter and then at West Bev but I mean I don't have anyone that want to shoot me – why does that matter anyway? Surely you'd want to know if Marco had any enemies."

Doug lifted his eyes from his pad, "Not necessarily, he got shot in your car and then your car was left at the Hospital…I know this'll be hard to here but it's possible…Marco was killed as some kind of message to you. I know how sick and wrong that sounds but…it's something that you should consider, is there anyone that would want you…to not have a boyfriend I mean? Permanently like that?"

He felt himself be dragged out of that situation into a virtual reality, somewhere deep inside his subconscious. Had he been the reason Marco had been shot? He didn't see how it could be a scorned lover, he'd only had one of those that was a guy and he was in prison…unless it was one of the one night stands he'd had but Teddy had at least had _taste_ when he'd been at Exeter. None of them would have gone that far…it didn't make any sense…it had to be Ian.

"There was a guy…Ian…I dated him for a little bit but then we broke up and he didn't take it too well…but I mean I though he was in prison," the Cop looked up from writing again and Teddy realized he needed a last name, "Chrismoth." He added simply, Doug stood up and left the room for a few minutes and then returned and put a document on the table, Teddy scanned it briefly, it showed the dates Ian had been in prison after his trial and then was marked with BAILED in green, bold type. Teddy looked up disbelievingly.

"He was let out on _bail_?"

Doug gave him a look that seemed to show he understood how upsetting it was while at the same time implying there was some kind of sensible explanation for this, "Look…prisons are overcrowded as it is and Chrismoth has a Parole Officer and he's turned his life around…he's also staying with family in Orange County Teddy…but," he paused eyeing up Teddy's furious expression, "we will question him as to his whereabouts and if they check out then we'll bring him in okay?"

"Whatever," Teddy said feeling dejected and distracted from the entire situation.

"I guess we can leave it for today then," Doug said and switched off the recorder, "how are you doing – off the record I mean?"

Teddy replied with an icy look, he was ready to leave and didn't like that someone could suddenly be professional and then calmly intimate with a person…it left him completely unsettled, he wasn't sure what to trust in the guy. He seemed warm and then he became the calm, resolute poster-boy for the Police – saying that someone that had been a psychopath a few months earlier was now suddenly fit to be walking around in public.

Doug nodded comprehending the feelings, "I know it's hard…I just want to try and help you man…but if you'd be more comfortable dealing with someone else I can arrange that?"

A pang of guilt banged at Teddy's heart, this guy wasn't so bad after all, he was at least trying to get things done and behaving calmly, caringly even.

"No don't do that," Teddy made an apologetic face, "look I'm sorry…just the whole Cop persona and then guy that's there for you thing…it's a little hard to understand…you have two faces."

"Doesn't everyone?" he replied drily raising an eyebrow and for the first time in days Teddy actually laughed at something. "Look maybe you're right but I think it'd be worth us just talking informally and then going back to the hard stuff…it'll make things move a lot faster and at least that way you have someone to talk to…I get the impression your friends didn't know Marco too well, so…maybe I can be your go to guy."

Teddy smiled slightly at that thought, "Are you sure? I mean I wouldn't want to make you feel awkward or anything?"

Doug laughed this time, "Man there isn't a lot you could say that'd make me feel awkward, I'm a Cop after all, I hear things, I see things, I know things from firsthand experience…admittedly your case is a little unique but that doesn't mean that I can't be here to help you through this time if you wanted to be." He reached out his hand and touched at Teddy's…normally he would have moved his hand away straight away but there was something oddly comforting about the gesture. It was like they had connected somehow, Teddy could see him now. Then it dawned on him. This was a _gay_ Cop.

.

"Would you mind pulling some pieces from those neutrals?" the stylist asked, an officious, olive-skinned woman with the most fantastic dark eyes, and exotic earrings that Naomi had ever seen in her life, dressed as stylists often do in something bright and eye-catching – in this case a paisley minidress with the teardrop pattern cast in clashing shades of neon pink and emerald green, highlighted by golden stitching.

Naomi nodded, crossing over and selecting a jumpsuit, two minidress, a maxi-dress and a shirt and high-waisted trouser combo, putting them on a separate rail and wheeling them over to her, the stylist viewed them and then nodded approvingly, "Where are the shoes?"

"Oh I asked our new Assistant to pick some out from some of the retro stores in West Hollywood, I thought they would really suit the shoot," the stylist nodded approvingly, "Amelle, do you have those shoes I asked you to get?"

She nodded producing variously, a pair of kitten heels that looked as if they might be Wal-Mart, two sets of ankle boots with slight heels, a pair of azure peep-toes that would completely clash with the neutral theme, some knee-high leopard-print boots that belonged in the garbage can and the final pair made her blood boil – a pair of _stripper heels._ "What the hell is this – I asked you to get us shoes that would complement the neutrals from vintage stores Amelle not from…to be honest I don't even know where you got these but for the amount I gave you I expected a hell of a lot more."

The stylist moved to survey the shoes, surveying them imperiously.

"I am so sorry," Naomi said profusely, she pulled out her sidekick and hammered in the number for one of the vintage stores she had intended Amelle to use for the shoes, "high, Lauren, it's Naomi Clark – we met months ago we used some of your footwear for styling in a DVF Fashion Show in Florence," she paused as Lauren – one of the managers recounted she did remember here and wondered what she could help her with today, "I was wondering if you had anything suitable for a neutrals shoot," she paused and almost punched in the air when she said she had just the shoes, "could you possibly have them driven over? I'll text you the address and the sizes you need – you're a life saver! Okay goodbye.

"Once again I am so sorry," she apologized, "the shoes will be here in fifteen minutes," she said texting the sizes and address as she spoke, the stylist nodded and returned to the models, Naomi turned to Amelle, the girl with her ice-white-blonde hair cut into a 60s boyish bob and glared at her, "I can't believe it, I asked you to do once think and you messed up – Jesus Amelle I'm not your fricking mother or babysitter, I'm not meant to have to watch you like a hawk when you're buying some shoes for a photo shoot!" Amelle turned to walk away from her but Naomi wasn't letting her off that easily, "You can be sure Maria is going to here about this Amelle."

"If you wanted it done a different away either do it yourself or give me more resources." Naomi was this close to punching her but turned away, she needed to focus upon ensuring that the stylist was kept happy, she had been doing swimmingly so far in pleasing stylists and the stylists, especially the ones on US _Kisses & Lies_ were notoriously hard to please, she had to hope that this little bump in the road wasn't going to cause her any more problems.

.

"So Navid wanted what exactly?" Silver asked as she sipped at her iced tea.

Adrianna shrugged, "To ask me to try and smooth things over…whining about not having any friends and how none of us cared about him…he even said he'd considered suicide," Silver looked as though her world had fallen apart at that moment, "oh come on Silver it's not like he'd actually do it, he's being theatrical and ridiculous and attention-seeking, he's being _Navid_. Besides losing us wouldn't make him think about suicide anyway would it? As long as he knows you care about him, he knows you don't just close your heart because you stop being with someone…I mean you and Teddy are case and point, he came out as gay and you still act like bestfriends around one another."

"Yeah well…maybe he has his reasons," she said cagily, casting her eyes around the Beach Club absent-mindedly, "did he talk about anything other than wanting to get us back as friends?"

She shook her head, "He's still completely head-over-heels in love with you," her eyes lit up as Naomi cruised into the beach club looking cool and composed, she lifted down her enormous D & G sunglasses and Adrianna gaped, clearly she was pissed off, with someone, she looked as though she was ready to smash up whoever it was with a baseball bat, "so what's wrong with you? Did the Count call or something?"

"That fricking intern at work…beyond useless…it's like fricking hell all I asked you to do was buy some shoes, you're a girl and you work in fashion – how hard can that be?" She touched her hands to her temples and flagged down a server, "Can I have a Sea Breeze," the server turned on his heel but Naomi called out after him, "heavy on the vodka, less cranberry juice."

"This really must be bad huh?" Silver asked perking up, "You're drinking in the afternoon." She and Adrianna both giggled but Naomi made a voice that sounded somewhere between a snarl and an actual growl. "So what did the intern do buy the wrong shoes?"

"She bought completely the wrong shoes…I mean I thought Navid was fashionably challenged but she made him look like Alexander Wang," she declared boldly and then made an apologetic face when she realized Navid might not be everyone's favourite topic, "I mean it was literally as if she wasn't even serious about the shoot, she'd like completely misunderstood what it was meant to be about – she had like no idea. And then she said that if I wanted it done a certain way I should have done it myself? She's the fricking intern!"

Silver nodded, finishing her iced-tea and shaking it slightly to attract the attention of the server moving about the room with the jug, she refilled it to the top of the glass, "On a completely different note have any of you heard from Annie or Liam?"

"I haven't spoken to them," Naomi said, hungrily sipping at her cocktail as it arrived, "why are they m.i.a?"

Silver shrugged uncertainly, "I was trying to text Teddy to see if he'd pick up Teddy from the Police Station once he was done talking to the Cop but I didn't get a reply, and then I text Annie asking if she'd mind and if then she'd swing by here for a drink with us…I guess…maybe they're just doing couple stuff…I mean Annie had a lot of stuff on."

"Speaking of couples m.i.a have you spoken to Ivy or Dixon?" Adrianna prompted on the same thread, "I was supposed to be speaking to Ivy about her coming on the show to talk about unconventional career paths for women…it's something that the Studio Head came up with not me," she hastily added catching sight of Silver's thunderous look, "I was meant to meet her for a coffee but she never text me back."

"It's probably nothing," Naomi said, finishing her cocktail in three giant gulps and shaking her glass as Silver had for a refill, she grabbed the server's hand before he sped away, "heavier on the vodka." He nodded and departed.

.

"Are you awake?" Annie asked faintly and she heard Liam cough in response, she could feel the ropes cutting into their hands, the ones that were tying them back to back in some dusty, dirty warehouse. Why was it always a warehouse they got taken to? Couldn't they have gone to the trouble of renting a condo with a sea view.

"I think…unfortunately," Liam murmured jokily but his tone cut out, "do you know who they are?"

"No I don't…but clearly they're _criminals_."

"Your Liam Court right?" a voice sad from the darkness, the figure was just a silhouette in the darkness at the edge of their dust-marred vision.

"Who wants to know?" Liam piped up boldly; a shot rang out, zooming skyward somewhere in the warehouse: a warning not to be cocky.

"Your Dad owes us a lot of money son, and we think taking you and your wife makes for a pretty good ransom don't you?" a second voice murmured.

.

Hope you liked Chapter 6,

Reviews and responses welcomed and appreciated,

Acrobat

X


	7. Chapter 7

**90210: 2012**

He could feel the pain emanating from the gash on his forehead, not that he had could do too much with it…the kidnappers weren't exactly doctors and it wasn't in their role to bandage any wounds a person might suffer at their hands. Blood had blotted out the vision on his right eye so he had left it shut, when he opened it now it had hardened and was crusty, little specks falling down from the dried splatter, marring his vision even more than when his eye hadn't even been open – he was just glad that his wife hadn't gotten hurt too badly, Annie was everything to him, her getting hurt wasn't in his plan. He couldn't believe that his Dad had done this to him, to _them_.

As parents went Liam's hadn't exactly been his greatest, his Dad was never there and when he did turn up he just bounced as soon as he had some money in his pocket, his Mom had been pretty sweet for a while and then she'd married his Stepdad…his fricking Stepdad…who was such a bastard. He'd convinced his Mom to send Liam to Bootcamp to reform him, sent him against his will away from everything that he'd ever cared about. Now he had turned his back on both of them, and Annie's parents were twice the parents Liam's had ever been – to both of them. Unfortunately his Dad just couldn't leave him alone. Liam pivoted his head to look up into the eyes of one of their kidnappers, his pistol was holstered at his side as he crouched down in front of Liam. Liam spat in his face and immediately regretted it as the pistol smacked down on the back of his head.

"What'd my Dad do to you?" Liam demanded.

"Didn't pay us the money he owed us, got in over his head gambling in Vegas," he grinned down at us, "and then he mentioned that his son lived in Beverly Hills – so we thought we'd take you and your wife here for ransom, and if he doesn't pay up we cut our losses and run, and you die – no loose ends. So you'd better hope your old man pays up."

Liam let out a laugh, "You didn't do your research did you? My Dad doesn't give a crap about me or Annie – he never has that's why he always walked out, so you'd better kill me right now or get out of here," the guy's cell phone started ringing and he stood up, "he's not gonna come for us." Liam wanted to protect Annie, and he hoped that by panicking them he might at least distract them long enough for him to overpower them – the only downside was that making them jumpy might also make them trigger happy, and that was something that he really wanted to avoid.

"Alright I'll tell them – we'll meet you there." The guy disappeared, leaving them alone in the Warehouse together. Liam felt any stir against his back and he turned to look at her, she smiled weakly at him but the smile faded, she was hurting more than he had realized before, he hadn't considered how much of a toll it might take on someone as sensitive and caring as Annie – she'd been through a lot in her life but this was in a whole other league.

"I'm sorry I got you into this Annie," he murmured, "I know that it's my Dad and not me but I should've protected you better, should've seen something like this happening – I didn't protect you, didn't save you or get you away from this…and I should have by now…I'm meant to be your husband, meant to be more mature and your protector…instead I wind up like a helpless little boy tied up with you while some guys point guns at us because my Dad is the mother of all jackasses."

"It's not your fault," Annie soothed regardless, "I just…I want you to know that I love you…and…if we don't get out of here-"

"-don't say that!" he interjected but Annie pulled on his arms sharply tied against her, cutting out his voice.

"_If we don't get out of here_, I wanted you to know that I was already planning how we were gonna have kids and a house and a white picket fence," she giggled and could feel the tears beginning to stream down her face, "and how I'd go from being an actress to a High School Teacher and how you'd be some big business hotshot…how we'd live on a neighbourhood with beautiful houses and beautiful people…how Teddy and Marco would live at the end of street, Dixon and Ivy would live across the street…Ade would live next door with Alexander, Navid and Silver would live on the other side, even Naomi would have a place at the end of the street where she'd bring back a different guy every night till her late 30s when she settled down and started getting botox to keep looking fresh…it was gonna be perfect."

"It still will be." Liam deflected but Annie was crying hard now as the guy returned. He helped them up and they were roughly man-handled out into the light of the day and bundled into the back of a van. They drove them for what seemed like hours and Annie just cried and felt tears pour down her face and then they were forced out and Annie realized they were by the ocean, at the beach, she heard Liam swear under his breath as the guy stepped out. And then she heard two shots, and felt blood pour out of her stomach and sank to the ground with Liam. So this was what death felt like? Warm and serene. She felt as if she were already ascending into the light.

.

"Okay so, I'm like your reserve, reserve port of call in a storm?" Silver raised an eyebrow grinning mischievously and Dixon had the urge to yell at her for letting him think she was mad with him, she took a long sip of her Smoothie as she sank into the comfortable cushion of the Beach Club's wicker chair, trying to get a read on Dixon who seemed…confused about his mood…there was happiness she could tell but also sadness, maybe even anxiety somewhere in the swirling storm of emotions?

"Teddy's working through things, Navid is…off limits obviously, Liam is…well he's M.I.A and you…know me best…and besides I can't really talk to Ivy…I mean she's…part of the problem."

Silver leaned forward intrigued putting her drink down, "What's on your mind?"

"Well there's a lot going through my head Silver…it sounds weird but I think I kinda miss Navid…as a friend…but that's not it all…Ivy's…she's got a lot going through her head, she just got the opportunity to go surf in Australia for like three months...it's a Contract worth like…two million dollars…but she doesn't want to take it cause she says it's all commercial and that isn't what she's into. And now she's found out…well we found out she's pregnant…and then she found out that Laurel was admitted to the Hospital and she's just…like…imploded or something."

Silver nodded periodically as she absorbed all the information.

"You're in over your head aren't you?"

He nodded, she smiled sympathetically.

"Well…I guess that Ivy is pretty stubborn so if she doesn't want to take the job in Australia she probably has a reason to, and if she's having a kid I'd guess she'd want to keep it – but you have a say too, in whether you keep the baby or whether on this occasion it's too soon to have a child," she said slowly, making sure Dixon understood the impact of what she was saying somewhere in his shaven-headed skull, "because that's about you and her…as regards Laurel being in Hospital…I would guess it's something serious am I right?" Dixon bobbed his head affirmatively, "Then you have to play it by ear, listen to what Ivy's saying and do what she tells you, I think she'll be just as messed up and maybe hurting even a little bit more than you, you just have to be there to look out for her and keep her safe."

Dixon nodded, his worries seemingly assuaged.

"Why don't you let me take a weight of your shoulders? What's on your mind?"

Silver shrugged – she hadn't expected such a direct question.

"Honestly…a lot…can I be honest?" She didn't know why she'd asked she knew Dixon wouldn't mind, he always remained tight-lipped about their private exchanges. "Well…it seems to me that I'm getting left behind…I mean Annie, Naomi, Adrianna and Ivy all have these big careers which they're like forging ahead with…and I'm…I'm in College Dixon. I really want to be there for Teddy but I don't know how to be because I didn't stay close to him or Marco…I just let them slip past me and I lost hold of our friendship…so that's rotten to the core and as for Navid…well he was such a dick to you and everything fell apart after that."

"Wow," he made a whistling sound, "you make my stuff sound small."

She sighed, "I just…I thought out of all us…and I'm not trying to be pig-headed here but I thought I was destined for something really great you know…Film School…and instead I just stuck around in Beverly Hills, 90210…I mean is this where I'm gonna spend all my time from now on?"

"Not necessarily but I mean…I think it's a pretty nice place," he smiled at her supportively, "I mean what's stopping you going back to film-making, I know you like your Politics or whatever Course you're doing but I mean you could always make a Film outside of College, you enter it in a Festival some day and then you're launched onto the international film-making circuit." She shrugged, smiling in an _I guess you're right way_.

"Maybe losing Navid was the best thing I ever did, right?"

"Yeah," Dixon said uncertainly, "do you think you know…you two could ever…?"

"No," she shook her head vehemently, "Dixon he was a complete jerk to you and to everyone else…he called Adrianna instead of me to try and make up? He's more messed up now than he ever was before…and I don't think I want to be around someone like that anymore – we can just cut him out of our friendship group for ever…he never deserved our friendship in the first place did he? He just needs to go some place and forget all about us, with his Million Dollar Business you helped him create. Without you he'd be nothing Dixon, and you know that don't you?"

.

"Hey," Ivy called out as Teddy came sprinting out of the surf, his board slung under his arm, his suit already unzipped down the back, exposing his golden-tanned upper-torso to the glorious sunshine of the morning, "you were tearing it up out there, can I have some of whatever you had…I could really do with a pick up!"

"'Fraid it's all natural ability," Teddy said with the lingering sign of what had almost been a smile across his lips, he flopped onto the sand beside her, looking out towards the waves, crashing onto the beach with thunderous roars, "so why are you down?"

"Yeah like you need any more drama in your life." Ivy said, she didn't want to burden Teddy, he hadn't said a thing to her when he'd clearly been in his dark time, it wasn't fair for her to suddenly open her soul to him and rely on him in such a big way when she hadn't been able to do the same…it wasn't an equal friendship, Teddy started making puppy eyes and she hit him and he yelled but it was good kind of yell…which made her at least a little more positive about how Teddy must be feeling, "I don't even know why I said anything man…it's minor league compared to what you're going through."

"If I'm being brutally honest I would love something petty to discuss…whenever I see you all you all try and comfort me, when honestly all I need is my friends to just distract me for a few hours…I'm getting through this…I'm getting counselling…and I spoke to Marco's Mom a few times and things are…they're slowly getting better…just little things keep getting in the way. Like Marco never made out a will." He murmured and Ivy nodded comprehendingly.

"Well, my Mom has Cancer…and it's terminal…and she actually suggested if I got everyone to visit it might bring everyone back together, I got offered a huge contract in Australia but I don't want to take it in case I suddenly start having to advertise Pepsi or whatever…and Dixon thinks I should take it because we need the money…and now I'm pregnant and," she looked at Teddy and saw that his eyes had been periodically bulging every time she threw some more of her drama out in front of them, "my life's falling apart."

"Yeah I got _that_," Teddy said and he actually offered a real grin this time, "well me and Silver went through losing our Mom's to cancer so you can talk to us about it…as concerns the contract I guess that's your choice…you're one of the most assured people I know Ivy…I don't think your integrity should be a worry if you believe in yourself and you're having a baby! Not entirely sure what to think about that…"

"My point exactly," Ivy sighed, casting her head back to catch more of the rays of the sun on her face, "I just…I'm not ready for a kid and neither is Dixon…but it isn't like getting a termination doesn't mean something you know? If I get rid of the kid I'm basically killing a life…or at least that's how it seems to me…sorry…I just-"

"-I get it, it's complicated," Teddy said soothingly, "I think you need to talk to Dixon, he'll be just as messed up as you are…if not more messed up in his head…he has a say in the kid too – the surfing thing is your choice too but think about it this way, you go to Australia then you have to ask whether you take Dixon with you…if you don't what happens if you meet someone…do you really need the money…I don't even think you're at the discussion stage till you get your head straight, you know?"

"I think so," Ivy laughed, "turns out you aren't all brawn."

"Nah I look tougher than I am, I'm a real _teddy bear_ once you get to know me."

"You're my Teddy Bear," whispered Marco in his air and suddenly Teddy was on his feet, his board already under his arm and he was sprinting for the crest of the dune and his car beyond it, the wind was getting up but amongst the wind and the sand whipping up he could hear Ivy get up and start running behind him.

"Teddy what's wrong, what's the matter?"

He couldn't stop, he couldn't talk to her, he opened the door to his car and pulled out, driving and driving and driving till he reached the Apartment pulled into the Lot, ran up the four flights of stairs and slammed the door behind himself, sinking down it in tears and shaking with the tragedy of it all as he opened the phone and thumbed Doug's number…he couldn't be alone now…he needed someone to be there with him…someone who got him.

"Can you come over…now please…I need…I need to talk to someone."

.

"And he just flipped out…wow…I thought he was getting better," Naomi said, seemingly absent-mindedly as she rummaged amongst a rack of clothes, she pulled out a cropped check shirt that could be tied up in a knot so that it showed of your toned abs if you had a beautiful chest while enhancing cleavage and then she teamed them with a pair of torn denim short-shorts, "does this look like something a surfer would wear?"

"Yeah…if she wanted to get beat up," Ivy mocked, it was generally accepted she didn't do girly-girl, "yeah it looks great Naomi."

"Perfect," Naomi murmured bustling over to one of the intern's, a particularly gormless red-head who was dressed in a particularly vulgar tartan maxi-dress paired with over-sized sunhat, it might have worked if the girl had been a few sizes smaller, known to use a dark lipstick and used a darker eye shadow…instead…she just looked…_bad_, "thanks again for coming and helping me on this shoot, I knew surfing was your thing and we're doing a segment on…rugged girls."

Ivy sniggered involuntarily, if she'd been drinking she would have sprayed it all over Naomi.

"It's not funny, _Kisses & Lies_ is doing a serious piece, we're trying to encourage girls to you know…take their makeup off once in a while and try something outside their comfort zone." Naomi said officiously, and she thought passionately – showing how much she cared about the magazine and had become determined to make it a success.

"Yeah cause you're always going out surfing…if there's a boy involved," Ivy winked at her and turned back to the rack and pulled out a floral playsuit and tried it against herself, pulling out a pair of gladiator sandals and then turning to look at Naomi, "do you think this is me?"

"Completely!" Naomi yipped excitedly, "I didn't realize that you understood fashion!"

"I do," she replied sardonically, "clearly you don't," Ivy laughed as she put it back on the rail, "I would never wear something like that in a million years, and you should know that…you've been trying to get me to change what I wear for like…two years."

"And to use some conditioner on your hair," she said pouring at Ivy's still wet, dusty-blonde locks, "your hair has so much salt-water damage, did you ever consider dying it? Because my stylist could definitely do you, I mean I get highlights from time-to-time so he could do you in foils…let me get it you for your birthday! Oh please let me get you a hair-dye session for your birthday!"

"No," Ivy deflected, turning back to the rails, "you are not dying my hair for my birthday."

Naomi was about to give her a pouty face but instead turned to her phone picking it up.

"Yeah Ade I'm with Ivy why? Oh…oh god…I'll be there right away."

"What happened?" Ivy quizzed raising an eyebrow in interest.

"Liam and Annie are in the Hospital…they've been shot."

.

Hope you liked Chapter 7,

8 up kinda soon,

Acrobat

X

Reviews and responses welcomed and appreciated!

_**And just a note**__, I know some people don't like that Teddy's all sad and torn up but I think that's more realistic and truer to the character and I'm just trying to convey that, things are gonna get better I promise…but I think there's a period of sadness he has to come…anyway I digress, enjoy! _


	8. Chapter 8

**90210**

"You know I was actually gonna ask you to model for the magazine, I mean it wasn't like cover work – you're not that famous yet…but figured it'd be better to get a few shots of you before you make it big, so that _Kisses & Lies_ would have this big scoop about how we found you before you were famous…and I'm rambling again," Naomi looked out the window across the bed and then turned to look at Annie, lying as though in some enchanted sleep on the bed, unaware of the trauma that she had gone through, "your Mom and Dad came to see you…and Liam, and they were really sad but I think they're getting better now you pulled through the operation. You know you really missed a lot getting shot and all Annie…Ivy's pregnant and her Mom has cancer so…looks like the next few months are gonna be fun for her, Adrianna and Alexander are…so rich it's incredible, I'm sure you'll love they're new house they bought in the Hills? Think a Mediterranean Villa…in LA…I mean it's…it's unbelievable. Come back to us Annie." Naomi clasped Annie's hand softly, as though hoping that it would bring her back to them but somehow she new it was a futile gesture she jerked your head up to Dixon who had slid into the room silently while she was speaking.

"You're being real good to her – you can go if you need to be somewhere?" he offered politely.

"No, no, it's fine," Naomi protested, "I can let that little bitch of an intern see how hard it is to run a photo shoot for an afternoon…do you remember when you guys took me in when no-one else would? When I used to call you Dixie and…and you and Annie and your parents really…brought me back to Earth," Dixon cocked an eyebrow mockingly and Naomi laughed, "okay…so maybe I'm not exactly a natural country girl yet, but you really helped make me a better person…even if I did go psycho bitch for a little bit after that. I just…I wanna repay the favour you know?"

Dixon nodded comprehendingly, "They think Liam's coming around in the other room…his wound wasn't critical it missed any vital organs and passed clean out…they think Annie's did a lot more damage to her body."

"Like what kind of damage?" Naomi asked feeling her heart begin hammering in her chest.

He looked at Annie and touched her hand and then turned to look at Naomi.

"It took out one of her kidneys…completely…normally she'd been fine on one kidney, I mean you always here about people living on one kidney and watching what they eat or drink just in case…but there was shrapnel from the bullet…like separate bits that lodged in the other one, they got it all out but it's pretty busted up," Dixon shrugged, "not nearly strong enough to do the job it used to."

"So she needs a transplant," Naomi said realisation dawning upon her, "of course I'll take the test."

Dixon gave her a puzzled look and then it cleared up.

"Sorry…that wasn't the _please give my sister a kidney chat_…damn it…Naomi I'm sorry…it wasn't meant to sound like that I'm just…I should know better I'm falling apart-"

"-hey," Naomi said shushing him, "you're under a lot of stress…I mean Ivy has a baby on the way, you and Navid are basically at war with one another," she was almost sure she saw something pulse in Dixon's head as she mentioned _Navid_, as though some anger inside of him might burst at any moment, "it's fine, and for the record I didn't think that was _that conversation_, but even if it was I'd still give my kidney for her."

He smiled and then turned on his heel and left, breezing past Silver without acknowledging her in the hallway.

"He's crumbling under the pressure," Naomi said looking down at Annie, "I think between Ivy…and Navid and now Annie he's losing it Silver, I really do."

She nodded sitting in a chair on the other side of Annie.

"I don't understand why Navid seems to be the catalyst for all this…it was just an argument between them…I mean he doesn't like me so there's no residual jealousy…protectiveness or whatever there," she shrugged, "I wonder whether there's something else going on…and I'm worried about Teddy," Naomi turned to look at her with a _here we go again_ face, "look I'm just concerned I mean you heard what happened with him and Ivy at the beach."

"Yeah I did Silver," Naomi said removing her hand from Annie's, "he got up and left her because she was having a conversation with him…he's gonna be a little erratic after something like losing his boyfriend in that accident Silver – but that doesn't mean you have to be his guardian, I know he doesn't have his Dad because of how things ended between them and he doesn't have Ian or anyone else to talk to but you can't just mother him all the time…at some point you have to let him find his way on his own. Did you tell him about Liam and Annie?"

"I left a message." She replied sinking resignedly into her chair, clearly things were not going to alleviate in the near future.

.

"And you're supposed to be like the macho one, and you wind up lying in the hospital bed? That's…that's really un-cool…but I guess it's karma or something right? I mean everything…everything happens for a reason doesn't it," Ivy mused aloud, it wasn't as if Liam could here so she might as well talk out her feelings, maybe it'd bring him back…the ramblings of a madwoman, "sorry…guess I don't sound too upset but I am really…you have to know that…I just…I'm a little…disconnected from you, from this, from everything. Somehow I seem to be messing everything up at the moment."

"You aren't," murmured a voice from the doorway and she swivelled her head, "at least not _everything_,not _me_. I got messed up for a whole other reason." Teddy smiled weakly as he slipped into the room, taking the chair opposite hair and looking towards Liam's unconscious body, his chest rising as though he might be sleeping and breathing in that slumber, instead he was comatose, not waking up and lying there. "I shouldn't have ran off at the beach…I had a…a flash back…something that he…_Marco_ said to me once, and I flipped out a little bit…but I talked it out. And I'm okay with it now. I'm getting through _this_."

Ivy looked at him with her comprehending, icy-blue eyes, "You don't have to explain yourself to me, none of us expect you to get over this quickly…we don't expect anything of you actually, we just want to help if we can, and if helping is us surfing like we used to High School for an hour, or _splitting a milkshake_," Teddy laughed involuntarily as Ivy frowned at how preppy she'd sounded, "or grabbing a burger then we can do that. I just…I want things to be like they were before when they weren't this complicated you know?"

Teddy nodded, "Speaking of complicated," he cast his eyes to the window to the room and Ivy swung her head around, "do you want me to get rid off him?"

"No…just…find out what he wants, I'll go talk to Silver and see what she thinks." They both stood up as one and Teddy let her slip past her as he manoeuvred Navid further down the corridor so he would be out of sight of the other room, he doubted that Dixon or Silver would want to see him, not that he expected things to turn violent but at least this we he could get rid of Navid quietly if that was what they needed to do.

"Hey man," Navid greeted warmly and then faltered on catching sight of Teddy's look, "sorry about Marco and everything…that must have been hard to deal with," Teddy's expression was unforgiving, "I heard about Annie and Liam and wanted to come and see them…give them by regards."

"Well they're comatose," Teddy replied calmly, "what are you doing here man? You knew Silver and Dixon would be here and they wouldn't wanna see you after what happened, what you want to cause more pain and hurt than you did first time around?"

Navid shook his head vehemently, "Look I know what I said was wrong at the time but things have changed…I need to see them to tell them what _really _happened."

Teddy raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Your Uncle was stealing money and you blamed Dixon and fired him, then you and Silver broke up because she took his side and you were practically having an affair with your slutty Secretary Navid. What more is there?" Navid gave him a hopeful look and Teddy rolled his eyes, he might as well hear what he had to say.

"Dixon _was_ the one stealing the money, he just stole a lot more of it than I first realized, my Uncle transferred some money to my sister's trust fund like I asked him to…the irregularities were the money Dixon was taking out," Navid said slowly and calmly, "he is the one lying and I don't know why but Teddy this wasn't just money to pay the bills or whatever…this was like serious money…half a million dollars? Even in Beverly Hills for an Apartment the size of Dixon's that'd pay the Bills for like a few years."

"What are you thinking?" Teddy prodded.

"I don't know…I think…maybe it's drugs I'm not sure…he started going to a lot of parties up in the Hills…people are mixed up in a lot up there," Navid continued almost imperceptibly in case anyone was listening into their conversation, "something's wrong and he's in over his head."

Teddy nodded, "Look, you go, I'll pass on your regards…I'll look through things." Navid nodded and left, reluctantly but at least with a foot back in the door. Teddy didn't think Navid would go to the trouble of dreaming up a fantasy for them to believe, but then again he wasn't quite sure what lengths Navid would go to get back Silver…his time with Adrianna and subsequently with Silver had taken an effect upon him. He could become very attached to people and then drop them the next day…there was now continuity in his behaviour. He turned as Ivy came back with Silver, "He's gone." He caught sight of Dixon at the end of the corridor, a wary expression in his face, like a wounded animal knowing the predators are closing in.

.

"Guess you're still mad at Navid right?" Dixon looked up as he pressed angrily at the button on the coffee machine again, willing it to actually make a cup of coffee while trying to ignore the question, he felt uncomfortable around Teddy, more than he had been recently: Navid had said something, and Teddy had taken it in and was trying to understand it, in relation to the Dixon he knew, Dixon could feel life slowing down around him – the next few moments would decide whether he made it through this, or whether he was rumbled.

"Not mad as such just…a little annoyed…I don't really know how to be around him anymore after what happened between us," Dixon tried to gauge how Teddy was reacting to what he was saying, nothing seemed to have fazed him yet, "things are getting pretty stressful…with Ivy…and me not having a job…and now Annie and Liam…things are just hard…and Navid will just add more unnecessary drama to my life."

Teddy nodded, "Is it just that or is it something more Dixon?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dixon asked turning away from him, he couldn't even look at Teddy right now.

"Nothing I just want to help."

"Yeah well don't." Dixon moved away along the corridor and blazed past Silver turning away from him and out the building, she looked at Teddy, mildly puzzled but he could also see the puzzlement turning into concern on her part.

"Did you two just have a fight?" She quizzed perceptibly.

"No…nothing like that," he shrugged, "I spoke to Navid earlier when he was here."

"What'd he say this time? He was grovelling to Ade the other die…all this crap about wanting to be friends again and move past everything…being sorry…I've heard everything before what he did was…unforgivable Teddy…I don't care if I don't ever talk to him again…I'm seriously done with him and all his drama…I don't even know what I saw with him." Silver looked at Teddy searchingly and deciphered he knew something more, "Tell me what's wrong?"

"Navid thinks…he thinks Dixon did take the money and that he used it to pay for drugs or something," Silver's face looked incredulous but she didn't speak out as Teddy motioned her to stay quiet, "he says that his Uncle did take some money but he put it into his sister's trust fund which they'd agreed and Dixon took a lot of money on top of that…like more than enough money Silver, not just something to pay the electricity bill or whatever."

"How much are we talking?" Silver quizzed, she wouldn't have trusted Navid but Teddy seemed both sincere and convinced, and that was enough for her.

"Navid said half a million dollars Silver."

"That isn't drugs money," she dismissed, "this is a _lot _worse than a drug habit."

"What are you thinking?"

"Do you remember when he used to gamble a lot, back in Junior Year? When he used to get loans of you to pay for it?" Teddy nodded and the fact of the situation crystallized in his mind, "I think he must have gotten back into it somehow…or maybe he's in debt to someone for something else…you know what leave this with me…I'll talk to him…he's probably already a little wary of you and even though I don't think it is drugs, if is then he might be a little jumpy."

Teddy nodded, conceding control of the situation to her.

.

Ivy eased onto the balcony of the Apartment she shared with Dixon, he was sat on the lounger looking out toward the vast, blue, deep ocean, and somehow she knew the conversation wasn't going to end well, she hadn't wanted to hear what Silver had said, anymore than she'd wanted to acknowledge that Dixon had become more erratic and argumentative in the past few weeks. Something had sparked it all and she was almost sure she was going to hear it now, and that was what she was afraid off.

"So I talked to Silver today…who spoke to Teddy…who spoke to Navid," she said settling on the lounger beside him, he sat up on his chair upright at that, "so is there anything you want to tell me…and I mean it isn't like I'm gonna judge you or anything…I can deal with it just…confide in me…and then we can get you help and no-one else has to know about it, not Silver, not Teddy not anyway – our little secret." She reached out to touch his hand but he batted it away. "Alright Dixon then let's just dive in at the deep end, you stole half a million dollars off Navid, lied about it, convinced everyone that he was the bad guy in all this – when you were in the wrong. I haven't seen that half a million dollars, I know you didn't use it to pay our Bills because I did, we haven't bought a new car or moved house or anything so I'm left wondering what did you do with it Dixon? Is it drugs, do you have a Coce habit or something? Because I need this out of the way because my life is already stressful enough without you…without you falling by the way side as well!"

"It's not drugs," he shouted back at her, he moved into the apartment and yelled angrily, taking a swipe at the things on the table and hurling them onto the floor, smashing glasses and plates, Ivy looked at him nervously from the balcony, she was so glad that Naomi was coming to check that everything was alright, "Ivy I…I," he sounded calmer now, "I got into gambling but got…in way over my head…and I couldn't pay the debt to the guy, so I stole the money from Navid to pay for the debt…but that…it only covered half of it," she could feel herself getting more worried, "I needed money fast so…I…well I mentioned Teddy had a lot of money, you know…and they said they'd take care of it. So they sent someone to stake out his House, and they saw his car pull out…except…it wasn't Teddy driving that night…it was Marco and…and they needed the money and he didn't have any…and they couldn't have any…loose…ends."

Ivy dropped to the floor in tears, clutching at her sides, so completely repulsed with him in that moment, so venomous with fury…she couldn't even believe it, "When you say someone…Dixon…someone staked out the house…who was…who," she looked in his eyes and she knew, "oh God," she looked at him coldly and hard, "you…you killed Marco…it was you, that's why his car ended up back at the Hospital."

"I was trying to-"

Ivy started crying again and ran to the apartment door, slamming it behind her and sprinting down the stairs, she spotted Naomi's car pulling in and ran to the BMW, slipping into the door in tears and allowing herself to fall into a comforting hug from Naomi who she noticed cast her head toward the door of their apartment, surveying what had happened. Everything was wrong. Everything was awful. She had been living with a murderer.

.

"You're awake," Teddy greeted Liam, looking at his friend lying calmly in the bed, "how does it feel, your head still a little…painful?" He nodded, "That'll be the anaesthetic, the Doctor said you'd be a little disorientated for a few hours."

"Annie…where's…is she fine?" Liam looked at Teddy with the most frightened eyes he'd ever seen.

"She's…in another room," Teddy said dodging the question but Liam reached up and grabbed his hand and then fell back on his bed, in pain, drifting back into sleep, Teddy stood up and left the room, standing next to Adrianna who'd just emerged from Annie's room, looking drawn and tired, "he just came around and then went back under."

Adrianna nodded, "He wanted to see her didn't he?" Teddy nodded and Adrianna brought a hand to her mouth, "How do you tell someone that their wife is…on the verge of slipping into a coma she might never wake up from?" Teddy didn't have an answer he just hugged Adrianna as she started sobbing and looked toward Liam's sleeping body. Somehow things had become dark, so very dark, and no-one had noticed. No-one.

.

Hope you liked my third 90210 2012 fic,

Reviews and responses welcome and appreciated,

Acrobat

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